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AN 


AMERICAN  COMMENTARY 


ON    THE 


NEW   TESTAMENT. 


EDITED  BY 

ALVAH  HOVEY.  D.D.,  LL.D. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

AMERICAN    BAPTIST   PUBLICATION   SOCIETY, 

1420  Chestnut  Street. 


COMMENTARY 


ON   THE 


EPISTLE  OF  JAMES. 


BY 

EDWIN  T.  WINKLER,  D.  D. 


PHILADELPHIA : 

AMERICAN  BAPTIST  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY, 

1420  Chestnut  Street. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1888,  by  the 

AMERICAN    BAPTIST   PUBLICATION   SOCIETY, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  AA/'ashington. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  GENERAL  EPISTLE  OF  JAMES. 


I.  AUTHOR  OF  THE  EPISTLE. 

The  title  assumed  by  our  author,  "Servant  of  God  and  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ" 
(1  :  1),  would  of  itself  naturally  suggest  the  conclusion  that  he  was  not  an  apostle,  and 
hence  that  he  must  be  identified  neither  with  James  the  son  of  Zebedee,  nor  James 
the  Little,  the  son  of  Alphgeus — both  of  whom  were  upon  the  apostolic  lists — but  rather 
with  the  James  whom  the  gospels  and  epistles  designate  as  "  the  Lord's  brother"  (Matt. 
13  :  55  ;  Mark  6:3;  Gal.  1  :  19),  and  who,  as  appears  from  the  history  (Acts  12 :  17  ; 
15  :  13  ff. ;  21  :  18  seq.),  and  also  from  Paul's  testimony  (Gal.  2  :  9),  had  great  influence  in 
the  mother-church  at  Jerusalem.  James  the  Elder,  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and  the  brother 
of  John  the  Evangelist,  fell  a  victim  at  an  early  period  (about  A.  D.  42)  to  his  impetuous 
zeal  in  propagating  the  gospel.  (Acts  12  :  2.)  Even  sooner  than  he  does  James,  the  son  of 
Alphaeus,  disappear  from  the  evangelic  history,  having  probably  encountered  a  similar 
fete  in  regions  remote  from  Palestine.  James,  the  brother  of  the  Lord,  and  the  brother 
of  Jude  (Jude  1),  lived,  says  Hegesippus,  until  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  was  near  at 
hand ;  and  during  that  period  (extending  according  to  Josephus  to  the  year  A.  D.  63), 
exercised  pastoral  authority  in  the  metropolitan  church  of  the  Jewish  Christians.  The 
Jews  recognized  him  as  a  righteous  man,  and  tradition  gives  him  the  title  of  "the  Just." 
To  this  eminent  disciple  every  probability  assigns  the  authorship  of  the  Epistle — a  conclu- 
sion in  which  the  majority  of  interpreters  are  agreed. 

Yet  there  is  a  pretty  general  unwillingness  to  accept  the  literal  statement  that  this 
James  was  the  brother  of  our  Lord  ;  the  deep-rooted  prejudice  in  favor  of  the  celibacy  of 
the  Virgin  Mother  being  the  main  difficulty  in  the  way. 

Hence,  some  have  insisted  that  James,  the  Lord's  brother,  was  the  same  person  as 
James  the  Little,  the  son  of  Alphaeus.  They  argue  that  Alphaeus  is  the  Greek  form  of 
the  Hebrew  Cleophas ;  that  Mary,  the  wife  of  Cleophas,  and  the  mother  of  James  and 
Joses  (Mark  15  :  40),  was  sister  to  Marj',  the  mother  of  Jesus  ;  that  James  was  therefore 
the  cousin  of  Jesus,  and  that  merely  that  remoter  relationship  may  be  indicated  by  the 
title,  "Brother  of  the  Lord." 

But  these  positions  are  not  tenable.  For,  1.  The  evidence  is  not  entirely  satisfactory 
that  Alphaeus  and  Cleophas  are  the  same  name.  2.  It  is  highly  improbable  that  two 
sisters  should  have  each  had  the  same  name.  3.  It  i?  quite  certain  that  Mary,  the  wife 
of  Cleophas,  was  not  the  sister  of  Mary,  the  wife  of  Joseph.  There  were  four  women  at 
the  cross  of  Jesus,  one  of  whom  was  "his  mother's  sister."  (John  19  :  25.)  She  was  not 
named  by  John,  who  here  displays  his  characteristic  modesty,  for  she  was  his  own  mother, 
Salome  ;  but  this  omission  is  supplied  by  the  other  evangelists.  (Matt.  27  :  56  ;  Mark 
15  :  40.)  4.  The  employment  of  the  title  "  brother"  to  indicate  a  cousin  is  contrary  to 
usage.  The  more  tender  title  for  such  a  kinsman  could  only  be  used  under  special  cir- 
cumstances, but  by  no  means  as  a  common  designation.     5.  And  finally,  neither  James, 

6 


6        INTEODUCTION  TO  THE  GENERAL  EPISTLE  OF  JAMES. 

nor  any  other  of  the  brothers  of  Jesus,  was  ranked  among  the  twelve.  "  The  brothers  of 
Jesus  "  were  distinguished  from  the  apostles,  both  during  the  early  ministry  of  our  Lord 
(Matt.  12  :  46),  and  after  the  resurrection,  when  for  the  first  time  they  believed  on  him. 
(John  7:5;  Acts  1  :  14.)  The  phraseology  of  Gral.  1  :  19  and  1  Cor.  15  :  7  does  not 
contradict  this  conclusion — the  former  of  these  texts  signifying  "  other  of  the  apostles  saw 
I  not,  but  I  saw  James,"  and  the  latter  that  Christ  appeared  not  only  to  James,  but  to 
all  the  apostles. 

Other  interpreters,  however,  who  recognize  James  with  his  brothers  and  sisters  as  the 
members  of  Mary's  immediate  fiimily  (Matt.  12  :  46  ;  Luke  8  :  19),  maintain  (after  Ori- 
gen)  that  these  were  not  the  children  of  Mary  and  Joseph,  but  the  children  of  the  latter 
by  a  previous  marriage.  But  this  conclusion  is  also  without  just  grounds,  and  is  plainly 
dictated  by  a  low  idea  of  the  sacredness  of  the  marriage  relation,  an  idea  wholly  foreign  to 
the  inspired  writers,  and  to  the  Hebrew  people.  As  to  the  evangelists,  they  have  no 
hesitation  in  representing  Mary  as  the  wife  of  Joseph,  after  the  birth  of  our  Lord.  For, 
1.  Jesus  is  designated  as  Mary's  "first  born  son,"  an  expression  which  naturally,  if  not 
necessarily,  implies  that  other  children  followed.  2.  It  is  stated  that  Joseph  "knew  not 
his  wife  "  until  after  the  birth  of  Jesus  (Matt.  1  :  25),  which  proves  that  he  did  then 
assume  the  full  conjugal  relation.  3.  There  is  nothing  whatever  to  warrant  the  supposi- 
tion that  Joseph  was  a  widower  at  the  time  when  he  married  Mary,  or  that  the  brothers 
and  sisters  of  Jesus  were  not  Mary's  children  by  Joseph.  And  in  this  connection  it  may  be 
added,  as  Angus  shrewdly  observes,  that  if  they  were  Joseph's  elder  children,  Jesus  would 
not  have  been  the  heir  to  David's  throne.  (Note  on  Matt.  13  :  55.)  4.  We  read  of  only 
one  wife  to  Joseph  ;  and  it  is  she  who  appears  as  the  head  of  the  family,  in  the  circle  of 
their  children,  the  type  of  the  household  of  the  redeemed.  (Matt.  12  :  50.)  This  common 
association  suggests  that  jMary  was  their  mother,  a  conclusion  which  Lightfoot  would  neg- 
ative by  the  suggestion  that  our  Lord's  brethren,  being  always  in  the  company,  and  under 
the  direction  of  Mary,  may  be  explained  by  the  fact  that  Joseph  was  already  dead.  This 
is  not,  indeed,  impossible  ;  and  yet  in  John  6  :  42,  Joseph  seems  referred  to  as  then  living  : 
"Whose  father  and  mother  we  Joioio.'''  5.  And  finally,  the  main  argument  upon  which 
Lightfoot  relies,  that  had  James  been  the  son  of  Mary,  Jesus  would  not  have  committed 
her  to  the  care  of  John,  does  not  avail  if,  as  is  quite  conceivable,  John  was  in  a  condition 
to  take  care  of  Mary,  as  James  and  the  other  brothers  could  not.  But  see  Lightfoot  on 
Galatians,  Diss.  II. 

II.     CHARACTERISTIC  TRAITS. 

The  characteristic  qualities  of  James  may  to  some  extent  be  inferred  from  the  Epistle. 
That  he  was  a  man  of  culture  may  be  concluded  from  his  easy  and  generally  perspic- 
uous Greek,  which,  however,  is  not  without  a  tinge  of  Hebrew  symbolism  and  sententious- 
ness :  and  also  from  the  form  of  the  Epistle,  which  is  arranged  after  the  order  of  a 
Greek  oration,  and  already  aflFords  a  type  of  the  modern  sermon,  having  an  exordium,  a 
division  into  three  heads  which  are  separately  considered,  and  finally  a  peroration  by 
recai)itulation.  Especially  do  the  allusions  of  James  show  a  familiarity  with  the  ethical 
books  of  his  people,  both  the  canonical  and  the  apocryphal. 

That  James  had  a  poetic  sym]iathy  with  nature  is  apparent  in  the  number  of  figures 
and  local  allusions  which  he  employs,  and  which  are  racy  of  Palestine.  Thus  he  speaks 
of  the  sea  in  phrases  full  of  expression  (1  :  6  ;  3  :  4) ;  of  the  flowers  (1  :  10) ;  of  the  fig, 
the  olive,  and  the  vine  (3  :  12) ;  of  the  fresh  and  salt  springs  of  his  native  country  (3  :  11, 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  GENERAL  EPISTLE  OF  JAMES.        7 

12)  ;  of  the  drought  (5  :  17,  18)  ;  of  the  Simoom  from  the  Arabian  Desert  (1  :  11) ;  and 
of  the  early  and  tlie  hitter  rains.  In  the  changeful  objects  around  liim  he  discerned  the 
types  of  spiritual  and  eternal  realities. 

Further,  that  our  writer  was  pre-eminently,  as  he  denominates  himself,  "  a  servant  of 
God  and  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  appears  from  the  entire  tone  of  his  Epistle.  He 
commended  faith,  heavenly  wisdom,  and  prayer ;  he  urged  docility,  reticence,  and  self- 
control  ;  he  insisted  upon  fraternity,  charity,  and  forgiveness ;  he  proclaimed  that  a  reli- 
gion which  had  no  restraining  influence  over  the  passions  and  no  formative  influence  over 
the  character  and  the  conduct  was  utterly  worthless  in  the  sight  of  God.  In  the  spirit, 
and  in  not  a  few  of  the  expressions,  of  his  Epistle,  he  displays  a  striking  family  hkeness 
to  that  greater  preacher  who  gave  the  world  the  sermon  on  the  Mount.  James  also  em- 
ploys the  didactic  style,  sentences  sharply  proverbial,  and  a  variety  of  illustrations  and 
examples,  as  the  best  appliances  for  interesting  and  instructing  the  popular  mind.  He 
dispensed  "wisdom's  dole  at  wisdom's  gate."     (Prov.  8  :  34.) 

III.    DESTINATION  OF  THE  EPISTLE. 

The  difficulty  of  deciding  satisfoctorily  to  what  class  of  readers  the  Epistle  was 
addressed,  shows  that  it  belongs  to  the  archaic  age  of  Christianity,  when  nice  distinctions 
had  not  yet  been  established  ;  when  the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion  (1:1)  had  not  yet 
set  themselves  against  the  Lord  and  his  anointed ;  when  the  Jewish  Christians  still 
recognized  their  place  of  worship,  as  a  synagogue  (rendered  "  assembly  "  in  our  Version, 
2 :  2)  and  retained  much  of  the  old  ritual  service  (1  :  27)  ;  and  when  believing  Gentiles 
were  regarded  as  having  entered  into  fellowship  with  Israel,  just  as  the  proselytes 
had  been  recognized  as  Jews.  The  age  was  chaotic.  The  light  shone  in  the  darkness 
and  the  darkness  comprehended  it  not.  These  peculiar  circumstances  explain  the  inde- 
terminateness  of  the  address.  Those  whom  James  had  mainly  in  view  were,  beyond 
all  question,  Jewish  Christians,  who  had  been  begotten  through  the  word  of  truth 
(1  :  18);  who  had  exercised  faith  in  Christ  (2:  1,  14);  and  had  been  baptized  into 
his  name  (2  :  7) ;  and  whose  hope  in  persecution  was  fixed  upon  the  coming  of  the 
Lord  (5  :  7).  But,  in  the  address,  James  comprehended  others  also.  With  a  love 
that  followed  his  people  in  their  estrangements,  and  with  a  prescient  hope  that  many  of 
them  would  be  convicted  of  sin  through  their  own  violated  law,  and  be  brought  to  repent- 
ance and  salvation,  he  addressed  his  Epistle  to  the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion,  the  twelve 
tribes  whose  nationality  was  now  broken  up.  He  appealed  to  the  rich  among  them,  who 
largely  belonged  to  the  sect  of  the  Sadducees,  and  had  control  of  the  civil  power  which 
they  employed  against  the  poor  Christians,  and  he  urged  them  to  the  exercise  of  justice 
and  humanity.  He  attacked  the  barren  orthodoxy  of  the  Pharisees,  who  supposed  that 
their  knowledge  of  God  sufficed  for  salvation,  and  whose  teachings  were  not  without  a 
pernicious  influence  upon  the  Christians  themselves.  And  he  corrected  the  false  estimates 
of  the  worth  of  that  mere  ceremonial  worship,  which  prevailed  extensively  among  all 
classes.     In  short,  the  Epistle,  as  it  had  the  character,  had  also  the  scope  of  a  sermon. 

Not  only  the  salutation  (1:1;  comp.  Matt.  15  :  24 ;  1  Peter  1:1),  but  also  the  simi- 
larity of  the  themes  discussed,  and  even  of  the  expressions  used,  show  that  the  author 
of  this  Epistle  had  in  view  the  same  classes  of  persons  to  whom  our  Lord  preached,  and 
to  whom  the  First  Epistle  of  Peter  was  addressed.  They  also  illustrate  the  character  and 
condition  of  these  persons,  by  presenting  the  themes  most  famiharly  insisted,  upon  by  the. 
earliest  preachers  of  Christianity. 


8        INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  GENERAL  EPISTLE  OF  JAMES. 

To  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the  allusions  of  James  are  distinct  and  frequent :  Com- 
pare 1 :  2,  on  joy  in  trial,  with  Matt.  5:12;  James  1  :  4,  on  Christian  perfection,  with  Matt. 
5 :  48  ;  James  1 :  5 ;  5 :  15,  on  prayer,  with  Matt.  7  :  7-12 ;  James  1  :  9  ;  4 :  11,  on  the 
exaltation  of  the  lowly,  with  Matt.  5  :  3,  4 ;  James  1  :  20,  on  the  wrath  of  man,  with  Matt. 
5  :  22  ;  James  2  :  13,  on  judgment  without  mercy,  with  Matt.  6  :  14,  15  ;  5:7;  James  2  : 
14,  on  faith  without  works,  with  Matt.  7  :  21-23  ;  James  3  :  17,  18,  on  peaceful  and  gentle 
wisdom,  with  Matt.  5:9;  James  4:  7,  on  friendship  with  the  world,  with  Matt.  6  :  24  ; 
James  4:  11,  on  censorious  judgments,  with  Matt.  7:  1-5;  James  5  :  2,  on  perishing 
riches,  with  Matt.  6  :  19  ;  James  5  :  10,  on  the  endurance  of  the  prophets,  with  Matt.  5  : 
12  ;  James  5  :  12,  on  swearing,  with  Matt.  5  :  33-37.^ 

On  the  other  hand,  Peter  as  freely  repeats  the  language  and  thought  of  James,  as  the 
latter  quotes  from  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  Compare  1  :  2,  on  joy  in  temptations, 
with  1  Peter  4  :  12,  13  ;  James  1  :  11,  on  the  withering  grass  and  fading  flowers,  with  1 
Peter  1  :  24;  James  1  :  18,  on  spiritual  birth,  with  1  Peter  1  :  3,  which  supplements  it; 
James  1 :  21,  on  amendment  of  life  and  growth  in  knowledge,  with  1  Peter  2:1;  James 
2 :  7,  on  blaspheming  the  name  of  Christ,  with  1  Peter  4 :  14,  where  this  is  instanced  in 
the  reproach  of  Christ's  people  ;  James  3  :  13,  on  commending  the  gospel  by  good  conduct, 
with  1  Peter  2  :  12  ;  James  4  :  1,  on  the  lusts  warring  within,  with  1  Peter  2:11;  James 
4  :  6,  on  God's  dealings  with  the  proud  and  the  humble,  with  1  Peter  5  :  5,  6  ;  James  4  :  7, 
on  submitting  to  God  and  resisting  the  devil,  with  1  Peter  5  :  6-9  ;  James  4 :  10,  on 
humility  and  exaltation,  with  1  Peter  5:6;  and,  finally,  James  5  :  20,  on  hiding  a  multi- 
tude of  sins,  with  1  Peter  4 :  8,  which  explains  the  statement.  In  some  of  these 
instances  of  parallelism  the  two  writers  doubtless  drew  from  the  common  source  indicated 
above.  On  the  relation  of  the  two  Epistles,  Van  Oosterzee  remarks:  "The  twofold 
tendency  of  the  Epistles  of  Peter,  consolation  and  exhortatioii,  is,  in  the  Epistle  of  James, 
blended  into  one."     "  N.  T.  Theol.,"  |  31,  6. 

IV.  AIM  OF  THE  EPISTLE. 

The  primary  design  of  the  Epistle  was  to  encourage  holy  living  amid  the  peculiar 
temptations  and  trials  to  which  the  Jewish  Christians  were  exposed.  Hence,  whatever 
considerations  were  calculated  to  produce  patient  steadfastness,  unworldliness,  and  mutual 
serviceableness  were  earnestly  insisted  upon ;  those  offences  which  disturbed  the  purity 
and  peace  of  the  churches  were  sternly  reprobated  ;  and,  in  particular,  the  abuse  of  the 
doctrines  of  Divine  Sovereignty  as  related  to  sin,  and  of  salvation  by  faith,  was  emphatically 
condemned.  On  the  other  hand,  the  oppressors  of  Christians  were  denounced  for  their 
injustice,  and  were  threatened  with  speedy  retribution.  The  homiletical  character  of  the 
Epistle  allowed  easily  of  such  changes  of  address.  The  letter  was  sent  to  the  care  of  no 
special  church  or  group  of  churches.  It  is  a  catholic,  or  general.  Epistle  ;  it  was  intended 
to  be  multiplied  and  circulated  as  widely  as  possible,  so  that  it  might  correct  improprieties 
in  the  growing  and  poorly-supplied  churches,  and  instruct  the  minds  and  consciences  of 
individual  believers. 

V.  TIME  OF  COMPOSITION. 

From  the  style  and  contents  of  the  Epistle,  we  may  infer  that  it  was  the  first  of  this 
class  of  New  Testament  writings — a  place  which  it  holds  in   the   oldest  manuscripts. 

lAthanasius  states  that  the  Hebrew  Gospel  of  Matthew  was  translated  into  Greek  by  James,  the  Bishop  of 
Jerusalem.    Tom.  II.,  p.  102,  Stanley's  "Sermons  and  Essays,"  p.  291  n. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  GENERAL  EPISTLE  OF  JAMES.       9 

Compare  Stanley's  "Apostolic  Age,"  p.  290.  There  are,  however,  but  few  indications  to 
fix  the  date  of  composition.  It  was  written,  probably,  but  not  certainly,  when  the  dis- 
ciples were  already  called  Christians  (2  :  7,  A.  D.  43  ?),  and  hence,  after  the  establishment 
of  the  Christian  Church  at  Antioch.  (Acts  11  :  26.)  The  knowledge  of  the  gospel  was 
already  widely  extended.  Various  churches  had  now  been  established,  with  their  elders 
and  places  of  worship.  (5:  14;  2:  2.)  Troubles  had  begun  to  arise  from  the  ambi- 
tion of  the  teachers  (3  :  1),  as  well  as  from  the  oppressions  of  wealthy  and  powerful 
persecutors.  (2  :  6;  5:  1-6.)  From  this  la.st  circumstance  it  may  be  concluded  that 
the  Christian  communities  of  those  days  consisted  mostly  of  the  laboring  poor.  The 
Epistle  certainly  belongs  to  the  early  Apostolic  Age,  and  nothing  in  its  contents  contradicts 
the  judgment  of  Neander,  that  its  date  precedes  the  time  when  separate  Gentile  churches 
were  formed,  before  the  relation  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  in  the  Christian  Church  had  been 
brought  under  discussion.  Most  modern  interpreters  and  historians  assign  it  to  the  year 
45.  So  Alford.  Nor  is  there  any  ground  to  question  the  prevaling  opinion  that  this  letter 
to  the  Tribes  of  the  Dispersion  was  written  at  Jerusalem. 

VI.    AUTHENTICITY. 

The  most  important  evidence  of  the  authenticity  of  this  Epistle  is  its  reception  into 
the  Peshito,  the  venerable  Syriac  Version  of  the  New  Testament,  which  was  made  in  the 
second  century,  and  in  a  region  lying  beside  Palestine.  The  Syrian,  Ephrem,  also 
quotes  from  it,  ascribing  it  to  James,  the  brother  of  the  Lord.  It  is  alluded  to  in  that 
ancient  Christian  document,  "The  Shepherd,"  of  Hermas,  and  is  cited  by  Clement  of 
Rome,  Irenaeus,  Origen,  and  others  of  the  early  Christian  writers.  When  the  claims  of 
the  Epistle  were  considered  at  the  Council  of  Nice,  in  the  fourth  century,  all  doubt  as  to 
its  canonical  authority  was  set  at  rest,  and  it  was  received  as  an  inspired  writing  both  by 
the  Eastern  and  the  Western  churches.  At  the  Reformation,  the  question  as  to  its  claims 
was  revived  by  Erasmus,  Luther,  and  others,  and  has,  from  time  to  time,  been  recalled 
by  subsequent  Christian  writers.  The  main  argument  against  the  authenticity  of  the 
Epistle  is,  however,  theological — the  apparent  contradiction  between  the  doctrine  of 
James  and  that  of  the  Apostle  Paul.  But  this  difficulty  clearly  belongs  to  the  department 
of  interpretation,  rather  than  that  of  historical  evidence,  and  should  be  left  for  adjustment 
to  the  interpreter.  An  able  contribution  to  the  discussion  has  been  made  by  Neander, 
who  argues  that  there  can  be  no  discrepancy  between  the  two  writers,  Paul  and  James  ; 
since,  without  having  any  reference  to  each  other,  they  addressed  different  classes  of  people 
from  different  standpoints,  using,  however,  the  same  familiar  examples :  and  the  great 
Expositor  precisely  indicates  the  position  of  this  Epistle  among  the  other  and  later  writings 
of  the  New  Testament,  when  he  says  of  James,  that  "he  received  the  new  spirit  under 
the  old  forms."  How  the  doctrinal  objections  to  the  Epistle  are  to  be  met,  will  be  most 
satisfactorily  shown  in  the  exposition  of  the  texts  in  which  these  difficulties  are  found. 
The  great  body  of  interpreters  agree  in  recognizing  the  authorship  of  James,  and  the 
integrity  of  the  Epistle  in  its  component  parts. 

The  doubt  entertained  by  many  (like  Eusebius),  at  first,  in  regard  to  the  canonical 
character  of  the  Epistle  is  explained,  not  only  by  the  seeming  opposition  in  doctrine 
between  Paul  and  James — a  circumstance  to  which  reference  has  already  been  made — but 
by  the  fact  that  the  Epistle  was  specially  committed  to  the  charge  of  Jewish  Christians, 
who  were  separated  to  some  extent  from  the  other  believers  ;  and  also  that  James, 
although  a  brother  of  the  Lord,  and  a  man  of  apostolic  weight,  was  not  an  apostle.     Yet, 


10      INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  GENERAL  EPISTLE  OF  JAMES. 

as  Pluther  shrewdly  remarks,  "These  circumstances,  while  they  interferred  witli  the 
general  reception  of  the  Epistle  at  the  first,  add  to  the  historic  value  of  the  ancient 
testimonies  when  it  was  accepted  finally. ' '  The  distinction  between  this  Epistle  and  the 
spurious  writings  which  claimed  an  apostolic  origin  is  marked.  The  latter  contain  matters 
false  and  foolish — contrary  either  to  the  proprieties  of  providence,  or  to  the  truth  of 
doctrine  or  history  ;  the  former  is  characterized  by  a  self-evidencing  truth,  solemnity,  and 
majesty  beseeming  a  message  from  the  King  of  kings.  Among  the  writers  of  the  New 
Testament,  James  held  a  place  and  displayed  a  character  closely  resembling  those  of 
John  the  Baptist  among  the  heralds  of  the  New  Dispensation. 

VII.    ANALYSIS  OF  THE  EPISTLE  OF  JAMES. 

Tlie  Analysis  of  this  Epistle  is  rendered  difiicult  by  two  circumstances.  1.  The  style 
is  sententious  and  proverbial,  resembling  that  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  to  which  the 
author  makes  frequent  allusion.  2.  The  themes  discussed  are  so  related  to  each  other 
that  they  here  and  there  overlap  the  author's  divisions  ;  so  that  subjects,  which  have 
their  own  appropriate  place  in  the  argument,  are  sometimes  resumed  and  sometimes 
anticipated.  Yet  the  plan  is,  in  its  main  outlines,  regular  and  even  rhetorical ;  having  an 
Introduction,  or  Theme,  with  its  Divisions,  which  are  considered  in  their  order,  and  a 
Practical  Conclusion,  in  which  the  argument  is  recapitulated. 

Introduction. — The  persons  addressed  and  the  occasion  of  the  Epistle.     (1  :  1-18.) 

1.  Greeting.  To  the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion,  in  especial  those  of  them  who  had  been 
converted  to  Christianity.     (Ver.  1.) 

2.  Occasion.  The  trials  and  temptations  of  his  readers,  whom  he  exhorts  to  stead- 
fast, patient,  and  prayerful  endurance.     (Ver.  2-18.) 

1)  Exhortation  to  cheerful  steadfastness  nnder  trials.     (Ver.  2-12.) 

a.  Amid  conflicts  and  afflictions  believers  have  reason  to  rejoice.     (Ver.  2-4.) 
h.  Superiority  to  affliction  may  be  secured  by  praj-er.     (Ver.  5-8. ) 
c.  Another  help  to  heroic  steadfastness  is  a  just  estimate  of  the  conditions  of 
life,  and  also  of  the  results  of  trials  borne  in  a  Christian  spirit.    (Ver.  9-12.) 

2)  Exhortation  to  cheerfd  steadfastness  under  temptations  to  sin.     (Ver.  13-18.) 
a.  Argument  from  the  nature  of  God.     (Ver.  13.) 

h.  From  the  experiences  of  men  under  temptation.     (Ver.  14,  15.) 
c.  From  the  divine  dispensation.     (Ver.  16-18.) 
Theme  and  Division. — Characteristics  of  patient  and  godly  sufferers.     They  must 
be  swift  to  hear,  slow  to  speak,  slow  to  wrath.     (Ver.  19,  20.) 

I.  Division. — Amid  their  trials  and  temptations,  the  godly  should  be  swift  to  hear. 
This  theme  James  develops  by  showing  what  is  involved  in  the  reception  of  the  divine 
word,  and  by  replying  to  the  Antinomian  objection  to  his  proposition  so  far  as  the 
preceptive  part  of  the  word  is  concerned.     (1  :  21-2  :  26.) 

1.  The  icord  must  be  received  as  the  inner  law.     (Ver.  21.) 

2.  And  as  the  ride  of  life.     (Ver.  22-25.) 

3.  The  speech  must  be  regidated  by  it.     (Ver.  26.) 

4.  And  the  social  intercourse.     (1  :  27-2  :  1 3. ) 

a.  In  society  the  gospel  enjoins  a  ritual  service  of  charity.     (Ver.  27.) 

b.  In  the  church  it  is  the  principle  of  fellowship.     (2  :  1-9.) 

c.  It  sanctions  all  the  precepts  of  the  Second  Table  of  the  Law.     (Ver.  10,  11.) 

d.  And  enforces  them  by  the  decisions  of  the  final  judgment.     (Ver.  12,  13.) 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  GENERAL  EPISTLE  OF  JAMES.      11 

5.   Refutation  of  the  objection  that  faith  by  itself  suffices.     (Ver.  14-26.) 

a.  Saving  faith  is  practical.     (Ver.  14.) 

b.  Worthlessness  of  an'inoperative  faith  (ver.  15-17)  :  to  the  needy  (ver.  15,  16) 

to  tlie  professor  of  it.     (Ver.  17.) 

c.  True  faith  must  have  works  (ver.  18-26)  :  else  there  is  no  evidence  of  its 

existence  (ver.  18) ;  nor  any  strength  and  blessedness  in  the  experience  of 
professors.  (Ver.  19).  Confirmation  from  Abraham's  example  (ver. 
20-24);  and  Rahab's.     (Ver.  25,  26.) 

II.  Division. — Amid  trials  and  temptations,  the  godly  should  be  slow  to  speak. 
Warning  against  sins  of  the  tongue,  and  the  collisions  and  offences  to  Christian  charity 
and  fellowship  thence  arising.     (3  :  1-12.) 

1.  Those  transgressing  in  this  particular  will  be  severely  judged.     (3  :  1,  2.) 

2.  Grounds  of  the  judgment.     (Ver.  3-12.) 

a.  The  wonderful  power  of  the  tongue.     (Ver.  3-6.) 

h.  The  power  of  man,  Nature's  lord,  to  rule  it.     (Ver.  7-12.) 

III.  Division. — Amid  trials  and  temptations,  the  godly  should  be  slow  to  wrath,  and 
also  its  kindred  impulsive  passions.     (3:  13;  4:  17.) 

1.  Gentleness  and  moderation  of  Christian  wisdom  depicted.     (3  :  13-18.) 

2.  Warning  against  the  sway  of  the  passions.     (4:  1-17.) 

a.  Their  evil  consequences  (ver.  1-3)  :  they  engender  strife  (ver.  4:1),  they  are 
illusory  (ver.  2),  and  they  deprive  prayer  of  its  efficacy  (ver.  3). 

6.  Ungodliness  of  the  passions  (ver.  4-6)  :  they  involve  enmity  to  God  (ver.  4), 
and  oppose  his  word  (ver.  5,  6). 

c.  Means  to  overcome  these  desires.     (Ver.  7-10.) 

d.  Warning  against  the  presumption  they  inspire  (ver.  11-17) :  in  men's  estimates 

(ver.  11,  12),  in  their  secular  projects  (ver.  13-17). 
Conclusion. — Duties    of  the    tempted    and    tried    recapitulated    and    reinforced. 
(5:  1-20.) 

1.  Swiftness  to  hear.     (Ver.   1-11.)     Let  them  heed  the  assurances  of  the  word 

in  regard  to  the  speedy  end  of  all  their  present  complications  :  the  future  it 
forecasts  for  prosperous  wickedness  (ver.  1-6),  and  for  afflicted  piety  (ver.  7-11). 

2.  Slowness  to  speak.     (Ver.  12-18.)     Let  them  nse  the  gift  of  the  tongue  piously, 

hence,   not  in  swearing  (ver.  10),  but  in  prayer  (ver.  13-18),  which  must  be 
seasonable  (ver.  13),  intercessory  (ver.  14-16),  and  trustful  (ver.  16-18). 

3.  Slowness  to  roratJi.     (Ver.  19,  20.)     Let  Christ's  people,  instead  of  contending 

with  injurious  men,  seek  to  save  them. 

Note. — It  would  perhaps  be  esteemed  a  display  of  pedantry  sbotild  the  writer  of  this  brief  CommentarT 
give  a  list  of  the  nuiuerous  works  consulted  in  its  preparation.  He  needs  only  say  that  he  has  availed  himself 
of  the  aid  afforded  by  the  best  authorities,  and  has  used  all  the  diligence  in  coming  to  correct  conclusions  which 
a  career  of  manifold  occupation  would  allow.  Yet  he  must  be  permitted  to  express  his  special  obligations  to 
the  learned  labors  of  Winer  in  the  department  of  New  Testament  grr-nmar,  of  Huther  in  interpretation,  and  ot 
Lisco  in  analysis.  He  is  also  indebted  to  Bengel's  fruitful  hints,  and  .lohustone's  and  Pluniptre's  popular 
expositions,  and,  among  historical  works,  to  Neander's  "  Planting  and  Training  of  the  Church,"  and  to  Stanley's 
"Sermons  and  Essays  on  the  Apostolic  Age."  Only  the  necessarily  contracted  limits  of  the  present  work  have 
prevented  its  author's  drawing  more  largely  from  these  rich  stores.  And  he  must  add,  in  conclusion,  that  he 
has  derived  no  little  encouragement  and  aid  from  the  scholarly  criticisms  and  acute  suggestions  of  Prof  Thomas 
J.  Dill,  of  Howard  College,  who  must,  however,  be  held,  in  no  respect,  as  responsible  for  the  conclusions  to  which 
the  author  has  arrived. 


THE  GENERAL  EPISTLE  OF  JAMES. 


CHAPTER  I. 


JAMES,  a  servant  of  God  and  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  to  the  twelve  tribes  which  are  scattered 
abroad,  greeting. 


1  James,  a  i  servant  of  God  and  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  to  the  twelve  tribes  which  are  of  the  Disper- 
sion, 'i  greeting. 


1  Gr.  bondservant i  Gr.  wUhethjoy. 


Ch.  1:  1-18.  The  Grekting  and  the 
Occasion  of  the  Epistle. 

1.  James,  the  authorof  this  Epistle,  was  not 
the  son  of  Alphaeus,  but  a  full  brother  of  the 
Lord,  whose  name  occurs  in  the  family  list. 

(Matt.  13:55,  56;  Mark  6:  3.)       Nor     WaS       he      One     of 

the  twelve  apostles;  for  he  was  not  even 
a  disciple  at  the  time  when  the  number  of 
these  "witnesses  of  the  resurrection"  was 
made  up.  (john6:  70;  7:  s.)  He  did  not  possess 
the  qualifications  which  the  disciples  regarded 
as  necessary  for  the  apostolic  office  (Acts  i :  21, 22), 
and  therefore  could  not  have  been  elected  by 
them  to  the  apostleship  after  our  Lord's  ascen- 
sion. Nor  have  we  any  evidence  that  James 
was  miraculously  designated  to  that  office,  as 
Paul  was.  Further,  James  did  not  claim 
the  dignity,  as  the  apostles  were  wont  to  do. 

(Rom.  1 :  1 ;  1  and  2  Cor.  1:1;  Gal.  1:1;  Titus  1 :  1 ;  1  Peter  1:1.) 

Nor,  finally,  did  he  perform  the  proper  apos- 
tolic work:  he  was  not  sent  forth  to  testify  to 
the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  but  remained  at 
Jerusalem,  where  he  was  held  in  honor  as  the 
Lord's  brother  (Gal.  1:  19),  and  as  an  eminent 
saint,  and  where  he  presided  over  the  church 
until  A.  D.  62  or  63,  when  he  suflfered  mar- 
tyrdom.    See  Introduction  L 

A  servant  of  God  and  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ — literally,  a  bondsman.  Here  the 
whole  phrase  indicates  a  person  subject  to 
the  divine  government,  employed  by  God  for 
the  performance  of  his  will,  holding  himself 
at  the  divine  disposal,  and  devoted  in  par- 
ticular to  the  extension  of  the  gospel  of  Christ 
among  men.  The  lowest  service  to  God  is 
honorable.  The  title  was  not  official,  but  was 
applied  not  only  to  apostles  (Acts*:  29;  Rom.  i:  1), 
but  to  preachers,  teachers,  and  to  the  disci- 
ples in  general.  (Act3  2:  is;  Eph.  6:  6.)  All  the 
Lord's  people  are  servants,  bearing  his  name, 
representing  him  in  example,  testimony,  and 
advocacy,  and  doing  his  will.  'God  and  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ'  are  mentioned  together  to 
indicate  the  harmony  of  both  the  dispensa- 


tions of  revealed  religion — the  Old,  which 
recognized  God  as  the  sovereign  of  Israel ; 
and  the  New,  which  acknowledged  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  as  the  Head  of  the  Church. 
(James 2:  1.)  The  Tcverence  of  James  for  both 
would  conciliate  the  good  will  of  those  whom 
he  addressed.  (Acts26: 6,7.)  It  is  observable 
that  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  occurs  but  once 
again  in  this  Epistle.  (James  2 :  1.)  The  omis- 
sion suggests  the  modesty  and  discretion  of 
the  writer,  who  would  not  even  seem  to  urge 
any  claim  to  consideration  on  the  score  of  his 
natural  relationship  to  Jesus.  (2Cor.  5:  16;  Mark 
10:  43-45.)  A  union  with  Christ  in  service  and 
spirit  is  the  only  relationship  that  abides. 

To  the  twelve  tribes  that  are  scattered 
abroad — literally,  "to  the  twelve  tribes  in 
the  Dispersion."  SeeJohn7:35.  The  Syriac 
Version  adds,  "among  the  Gentiles."  Hack- 
ett:  "The  Jewish  nation  consisted  of  those 
who  were  descended  from  the  twelve  tribes, 
which  fact  justified  the  expression  historically, 
though  the  twelve  tribes  had  now  lost  their 
separate  existence.  Many  of  the  Israelites 
who  had  been  led  away  in  the  Assyrian  and 
Babylonian  Captivity  never  returned  to  Pal- 
estine. They  settled  among  the  Gentiles, 
engaged  in  various  avocations,  and  main- 
tained their  national  traditions  and  synagogue 
worship.  These  centres  of  religious  truth 
and  influence  prepared  the  heathen  for  Chris- 
tianity. And  the  Jews  abroad  were  more 
accessible  to  the  gospel  than  the  communities 
in  Palestine,  which  were  set  against  Chris- 
tianity by  persecuting  rulers,  and  were 
prejudiced  by  the  imposing  ritual  service  at 
Jerusalem.  Hence  the  special  eflforts  put 
forth  by  apostles  and  evangelists  to  win  the 
tribes  'in  the  Dispersion.'"  Yet  our  Epistle 
was  not  exclusively  addressed  to  the  Jews  in 
foreign  countries,  or  even  to  the  Christians 
among  them  ;  for  those  in  Palestine  were  also 
in  dispersion,  the  old  tribal  limits  having 
been  broken  in  every  direction.      Probably 

13 


14 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  I. 


2  My  brethren,  count  it  all  joy  when  ye  fall  into 
divers  temptations ; 


2  Count  it  all  joy,  my  brethren,  when  ye  fall  into 

3  manifold  Hemptations ;  knowing  that  the  proving  of 


the  address  was  from  the  head  of  the  church 
at  Jerusalem  to  all  the  Jewish  converts  outside 
of  the  metropolis,  especially  to  the  members 
of  the  Church  who  had  been  scattered  by  per- 
secution, and  had  fled  to  Judea,  Samaria, 
Phenice,  Cyprus,  and  Antioch.  Acts  8:  1; 
11:  19;  compare  1  Pet.  1:  1.  Some  of  the 
dispersed  spoke  Greek  only — hence  they  were 
called  Hellenists  (Acts 9:  29);  others  spoke  the 
Aramean.  Jahn  "Arch."  g  324.  That  the 
former  were  by  far  the  larger  class,  may  be 
inferred  from  the  fact  that  James'  letter  to 
the  dispersed  Jews  was  written  in  Greek. 
Upon  the  extent  of  the  Dispersion,  see  com- 
ment on  James  4 :  13.  Greeting — wishes  joy. 
A  salutation  common  among  the  Greeks,  and 
familiar  to  James  also.  See  Acts  15:  28.  The 
usual  Hebrew  salutation  was  "Peace."  The 
term  here  adopted  corresponds  with  the  design 
of  the  Epistle,  and  prepared  its  readers  for 
the  call  to  "joy"  in  the  next  verse.  The 
preacher  brought  to  the  tried  and  tempted  a 
message  of  consolation  and  cheer,  thus  per- 
forming his  pastoral  work  as  "the  minister  of 
the  circumcision."  (Gai. 2  9.)  He  wrote  to 
them  in  the  language  in  common  use  among 
the  remoter  tribes  in  the  Dispersion,  thus  ful- 
filling the  promise  that  God's  favor  would 

follow  his  exiles.       (^Ezek.  11  :  16.) 

2-18.    Occasion  of  the  Epistle. 

The  trials  and  temptations  of  the  Jewish 
Christians,  which  called  for  exhortations  to 
steadfast,  prayerful,  and  patient  endurance. 
Here  two  divisions  occur:  I.  (2-12).  Exhorta- 
tion to  cheerful  steadfastness  under  persecu- 
tions and  other  outward  trials;  II.  (13-18). 
Call  to  Christians  to  resist  the  temptations  by 
which  they  were  beset. 

1)  In  the  exhortation  to  patience  under 
trials  the  following  is  the  train  of  thought:  1 
(ver.  2-4).  Believers  have  reason  to  rejoice 
amid  their  manifold  conflicts  and  afflictions; 
2  (ver.  5-8).  Superiority  to  afiiiction  may  be 
obtained  by  prayer,  which  endows  the  soul  with 
a  lofty  and  otherwise  unattainable  wisdom  ;  3 
(ver.  9-12).  Another  help  to  heroic  steadfast- 
ness in  trial  is  a  correct  estimate  of  the  exter- 
nal condition  of  life  and  also  of  the  results  of 
trials  borne  in  a  Christian  spirit. 


a.  2-4.   Believers  have    reason   to  rejoice 
amid  their  manifold  conflicts  and  aflaictions. 

2.  My  brethren— a  favorite  expression  with 
James.  It  marks  most  of  the  paragraphs  of 
the  present  Epistle,  as  ver.  19,  2:  1,  14;  3:1; 
4:  11;  5:  7,  9,  12,  19.  Characteristically  it 
was  altered  in  the  beginning  of  his  address  at 
the  Jerusalem  Conference.  (Acts  15: 13.)  The 
allusion  was  not  to  the  common  descent  of  the 
Jewish  Christians,  but  to  that  new  relation  of 
sympathy  and  serviceableness  which  believers 
sustain  to  each  other;  all  had  alike  a  share  in 
the  welfare  and  administration  of  the  Church. 
Comp.  Baumgarten  "Ap.  Hist.,"  Acts  15:  23. 
Another  reason,  besides  that  given  in  ver  1, 
for  writing  the  Epistle:  it  was  sent  by  a  serv- 
ant of  the  Lord,  and  a  brother  in  the  Chris- 
tian family.  When  ye  fall  into  divers 
{manifold)  temptations.  Sj'riac:  "Many 
and  various  trials."  Here  the  occasion  of 
writing  the  Epistle  appears.  The  Jewish 
Christians  were  beset  with  various  tempta- 
tions, against  whose  depressing  and  seductive 
influence  they  needed  to  be  warned.  That 
the  trials  referred  to  were  more  than  troubles 
and  persecutions,  is  suggested  hy  the  use  of  a 
kindred  word  in  ver.  13,  where  internal  temp- 
tations are  indicated.  The  term  here,  how- 
ever, is  intended  to  suggest  the  whole  theme 
in  the  mind  of  the  writer,  while  at  the  same 
time  it  is  limited  in  its  present  application  by 
"fall  into,"  so  as  to  be  surrounded  by  (n-epur- 
iaare),  as  the  traveler  in  the  parable  "fell 
among"  thieves.  (Lukeio:  30.)  In  classic  Greek 
the  verb  applies  to  difficulties  and  contests. 
Accord inglj' the  'temptations'  here  introduce 
the  whole  subject,  while  yet  they  are,  in  some 
sort,  a  contrast  to  those  indicated  in  ver.  13. 
They  are  rather  the  temptations  that  environ 
us  than  those  that  dwell  within  us.  They  are 
the  trials  arising  from  the  conflicts,  sufferings, 
and  troubles  encountered  by  believers  in  a 
sin-stricken  and  hostile  world.  Luke  8:  13 
compared  with  Matt.  13:  21.  Thus  they  are 
'manifold,'  embracing  all  the  relations  of  life, 
in  any  of  which  the  Christian  may  be  tempted 
to  apostasy  or  despair.  Hence,  they  are  of 
various  forms  and  many  kinds.  (2  Cor.  6: 4  seq.;  11 : 
23seq.)     Besides  the  trials  common  to  all  men, 


Ch.  I.] 


JAMES. 


15 


3  Knowing  (his,  that  the  trying  of  your  faith  worketh 
patience. 

4  But  let  patience  have  her  perfect  work,  that  ye  may 
be  perfect  and  entire,  wanting  nothing. 


4  your  faith  worketh  'patience.  And  let  'patience 
have  (7.V  perfect  work,  that  ye  may  be  perfect  and 
entire,  lacking  in  nothing. 


1  Or,  sted/aaln 


Christians  are  exposed  by  their  principles  and 
profession  to  others  peculiar  to  theuiiclves. 
Count  It  all  joy.  An  allusion  to  the  greet- 
ing of  joy  in  ver.  1,  which  must  have  awak- 
ened surprise,  and  which  accordingly  Jarnes 
now  proceeds  to  explain  and  justify.  Joy  is 
used  metonyniically  for  a  cause  or  matter  of 
rejoicing.  'AH  joj','  entire  joy;  the  idea  is 
akin  to  that  of  2  Cor.  4:  17,  where  suffering  is 
represented  as  belittled  by  its  glorious  results; 
here  it  is  represented  as  quite  done  away. 
There  is  "a  jt)y  of  battle"  when  there  is  an 
assurance  of  victory.  The  beneficial  effects  of 
each  trouble,  steadfastly  endured,  more  than 
compensate  for  the  immediate  pain  it  inflicts. 
(Heb.  12:11.)  Under  the  gospel,  trials  change 
their  character;  they  are  an  exercise  of  forti- 
tude, a  rich  contribution  to  experience,  a  test 
of  the  consolations  of  the  Spirit,  a  call  to  trust 
in  God,  and  to  pity  and  pardon  toward  men, 
and  a  preparation  for  heaven.  Thus  each 
trial  becomes  to  the  Christian  mind  the  disci- 
pline of  a  Father's  hand,  and  an  occasion  for 
joy  and  thanksgiving;  it  ceases  to  be  afflic- 
tion ;  it  is  all  joy.  See  an  illustration  and 
list  of  the  trials  over  which  faith  may  triumph, 
2  Cor.  11 :  24-28. 

3.  Knowing  thi.s  introduces  the  warrant, 
at  least  in  part,  of  the  previous  exhortation. 
The  inspired  writers  frequently  appeal  to  the 
knowledge  which  Christians  may  derive  either 
from  experience  or  the  gospel  promises,  as  an 
argument  for  steadfastness,  (i  Cor.isiss;  Coi.3:24; 
4:  1;  Heb.  10: 34, etc.)  The  participle  is  closely 
connected  with  the  imperative  of  the  previous 
verse,  and  shares  its  meaning:  "you  ought 
to  know  this."  That  the  trial  of  your 
faith — the  jiroving  of  your  faith.  Cremer: 
the  verification  of  faith.  The  trying  of  faith 
not  only  indicates  the  testing  of  its  quality, 
but  also  the  happy  results  of  that  test  (com- 
pare 1  Peter  1 :  7,  the  only  other  passage  in 
which  the  word  occurs),  for  the  writer  pro- 
ceeds on  the  supposition  that  the  trial  will  be 
borne  Christianly  :  a  genuine  faith  exposed  to 
the  fires  of  aflrtiction  (Rom. 5:  3,4)  will  be  as  fur- 
nace-proven gold.  Thus  gloomy  night  brings 
out  the  stars.     Faith  here  doe.s  not  signify  the 


doctrine  of  Christ,  but  that  confidence  in  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  which  is  the  centre  of 
Cliristian  character,  and  the  necessarj^  foun- 
dation of  Christian  conduct.  Worketh  pa- 
tience— or  constancy  ;  the  effect  of  the  trial. 
(Rom.5:3.)  The  Syriac  reads:  "Maketh  you 
possess  patience."  This  virtue  is  earnestly 
commended  by  our  Lord.  (Matt.  10 :  22;  24:  13.) 
It  is  closely  connected  with  hope,  both  in  the 
Septuagint  and  the  Xew  Testament.  See  2 
Thess.  3:  5;  Eev.  3:  10;  Rom.  15:  5,  13. 
Hope  is  the  ground  of  constancy;  hence,  the 
words  are  used  interchangeably.  Here,  how- 
ever, James  deals  with  patience  only  as  it  is  a 
part  of  the  Christian  character.  The  tried 
believer  not  only  endures  in  this  or  that  in- 
stance, but  he  acquires  the  power  of  endur- 
ance, a  manly  robustness  of  spirit.  (Luke  21:  19.) 
A  personal  conviction  of  the  power  of  faith,  a 
clear  conscience,  and  a  cheerful  expectation 
impart  constancy,  and  so  prepare  the  tempted 
soul  for  new  conflicts  and  new  victories. 
Patience  is  too  passive  a  term  to  express  at 
once  the  voluntary  and  daily  endurance  of 
hardships  and  outrages  for  religion's  sake, 
and  also  the  steadfast  maintenance  of  a  pious 
course  of  life  notwithstanding  these  diflicul- 
ties;  hence,  the  word  is  translated  in  Rom.  2: 
7,  "patient  continuance."  Such  was  the  spirit 
of  the  disciples  who,  after  having  been 
scourged  on  account  of  their  fidelity  to  Christ, 
"departed  from  the  presence  of  the  Council, 
rejoicing  f;hat  they  were  counted  worthy  to 
suffer  shame  for  his  name."  Acts  5:  40,  41; 
compare  1  Peter  4:  16;  consult  note  on  James 
5 :  8,  De  Wette.  The  thought  is  not  pursued 
as  in  the  parallel  passage,  1  Peter  1:7;  instead 
of  encouraging  Christian  hope  as  Peter  does, 
James  adds  an  admonition,   (ver.  4.) 

4.  But  let  patience  have  her  (a)  perfect 
Avork.  The  scope  of  the  duty  now  under 
consideration  ;  the  constancy  now  to  be  dis- 
played under  affliction  will  have  other  occa- 
sions also  for  its  exercise  and  must  be  main- 
tained even  to  the  end  of  life.  (Neander's 
"Planting  and  Training  of  the  Christian 
Church,"  B.  vi.  Ch.  3.)  Thus  must  its  work 
be  perfected  and  its  glorious  career  be  accom- 


16 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  I. 


5  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God, 
that  giveth  to  all  meii  liberally,  and  upbiaideth  not: 
and  it  shall  be  given  him. 


5      But  if  any  of  you  lacketh  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of 
God,  who  giveth  to  all  liberally  and  upbraideth  not ; 


plished.  (2Tim.4:7.)  Constiincy  is iiot  Simply 
a  negative  virtue,  a  mere  submission  and  res- 
ignation under  calamity,  like  an  immovable 
rock  amid  the  waves :  it  is  inspired  by  hope 
(2  Thess.  3:5),  and  is  diligent  in  the  performance 
of  good  works  (Eom.  2:  7;  2  Cor.  12 :  12),  Hke  a  Sol- 
dier familiar  with  hardships  and  perils,  and 
pressing  on  to  the  conquest  of  new  fields. 
That  ye  may  be  perfect  and  entire,  Avant- 
ing  nothing  —  lacking  iii  nothing.  Here 
again  the  effect  on  character  is  indicated. 
Bengel:  "The  perfect  work  is  followed  by 
the  perfect  man."  See  this  illustrated  in  the 
case  of  the  approved  preacher  (2Tini.  i:  15),  and 
in  that  of  Abraham  (James2:22),  whose  faith 
•was  made  perfect  by  works.  That  [to  the  end 
that)  indicates  that  this  ennoblement  of 
nature  and  enlargement  of  energy  should  be 
had  in  view,  and  diligently  striven  after  by 
the  Christian  sufferer.  'Perfect  and  entire' 
are  synonyms;  both  terms  were  applied  to 
sacrifices,  but  there  is  nothing  to  show  such  a 
reference  here;  'perfect'  is  properly  what 
has  attained  its  aim,  'entire'  what  is  com- 
plete in  all  its  parts.  Suffering  believers 
should  seek  to  be  perfect  in  the  development 
of  character,  and  entire  in  the  discharge  of 
the  duties  allotted  to  their  several  spheres  in 
life.  When  this  end  should  be  attained  they 
would  be  'lacking  in  nothing'  either  as  re- 
spects the  moral  nature  or  the  conduct.  In 
its  proper  signification,  the  word  would  be 
'  lagging  behind,'  i.  e.— behind  the  aim  set  be- 
fore Christians— a  sharp  contrast  to  'perfect' 
which  attains  the  goal.  The  Jews  needed  the 
exhortation,  to  prepare  them  for  the  approach- 
ing days  of  trial,  but  as  a  nation  they  did  not 
steer  toward  the  Christian  ideal ;  hence  they 
were  left  behind  by  other  nations  and 
stranded  in  history.  That  absolute  perfection, 
however,  is  not  attained  by  any  in  this  life, 
James  teaches,  when  he  says  that  in  many 
things  we  all  offend.  James  3:  2;  compare 
2:  13.  Yet  so  much  the  greater  the  necessity 
of  keeping  the  highest  aim  in  view.     (Heb. 6:  i; 

2  Peter  1:  5-8.) 

b.  5-8.  The  support  of  cheerful  constancy  is 
found  in  prayer,  through  which  a  wisdom  un- 
attainable by  nature  is  secured. 

5.  "Whence  it  is  to  be  sought.     "But"  is  in 


the  original,  although  it  has  been  unfortu- 
nately left  out  in  the  beginning  of  this  verse 
in  the  Common  Version.  James  meets  an 
objection  or  complaint  which  the  reader 
might  naturally  urge :  "You  set  before  me 
an  impossible  aim  ;  the  work  of  moral  per- 
fection is  too  hard;  cases  occur  which  de- 
mand a  superior  judgment  to  distinguish  be- 
tween   right    and    wrong.        (Pbil.  l:  lO;  Eom.  12:  2; 

coi.4:5.)  To  this  practical  difficulty,  the  text 
is  a  reply.  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom- 
is  wanting  in,  properly,  is  left  behind  by; 
more  literally,  come  short  of.  Prayer  is  the 
necessary  and  efficient  resort  of  those  not  in 
the  condition  referred  to  in  ver.  4;  of  those 
who  are  consciously  wanting  in  Christian 
wisdom  ;  who  are  below  the  Christian  ideal ; 
whose  feebleness  in  faith  and  constancy  (ver.  3), 
and  whose  imperfection  in  character  and  con- 
duct (ver.  4),  are  disclosed  by  the  ordeal  of 
trials.  Among  the  Gentiles,  wisdom  was  the 
favorite  theme  of  philosophy  and  rhetoric. 
(1  Cor.  1:17.)  But  no  one  imagined  that  the 
ideal  man  of  philosophy  could  be  found,  or 
undertook  to  apply  the  stoical  precepts  to  his 
own  case.  (Cicero  "  Tusc.  Quests."  2:  22; 
Epictetus.  "Disc."  2:  19,  24.)  On  the  con- 
trary a  want  of  correspondence  with  the 
higher  law  was  defended  as  "  naturally  and 
divinely  justifiable."  (Von  Harless'  "Sy.stem 
of  Christian  Ethics,"  ^12.)  AmongtheJews 
wisdom  was  practical ;  it  embraced  what  a 
man  should  know,  what  he  should  be,  and 
what  he  should  do.  "  Behold  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  that  is  wisdom,  and  to  depart  from  evil 
is  understanding."  Compare  the  praises  of 
wisdom  in  Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes,  and  the 
book  of  Jesus  Sirach.  The  wisdom  enjoined 
by  James  must  not  be  restricted  to  the  circum- 
stances of  the  present  case.  It  is  the  cause  of 
the  perfect  work  (ver.  4),  the  solid  foundation 
of  Christian  conduct:  for  it  is  "that  spiritual 
discernment  rooted  in  faith,  living,  urging  to 
action  in  whatever  relates  to  the  life  mission 
of  Christians,  as  well  in  general  as  in  particu- 
lar crises;  hence  also  in  persecutions  (ver. 2), 
which  would  otherwise  be  changed  into  inner 
temptations,  instead  of  being  the  way  to  per- 
fection." (Huther  and  Briickner.)  Let  him 
ask  of  God— by  whom  alone  it  can  be  given 


Ch.  I.] 


JA^IES. 


17 


6  But  let  biiu  ask  in  faith,  nothing  wavering :  for  be 
that  wavereih  is  like  a  wave  of  the  sea  driven  with  the 
wind  and  tossed. 


6  and  it  shall  be  given  him.    But  let  hiui  ask  iu  faith, 
uolliing  doubting:  for  he  that  doubtuth  is  like  ihc 

7  surge  of  the  sea  driven  by  the  wind  aud  tossed,    i'or 


(Prov.2:  6),  and  who   has  promised  to  bestow 
this  superiuitural  gift  (Jamess:  is,  n)  upon  such 
as  seek  it  by  tlie  prayer  of  faith,  (ver. 6;  James s: 
i3seq.)      Wlieti   nature   fails  amid  the  sharp 
conflicts  of  life,  help  to  the  struggling,  aspir- 
ing soul  is  afforded  by  a  Power  above  nature 
— a  power  kindly  accessible  and  efficient — the 
primal  fountain  of  light  and  love,    (i  JolqS:  h.) 
A  sense  of  spiritual  poverty  is  a  blessing  when 
it  leads  tlie  humbled  soul  to  God;  the  more 
deeply  the  tree  is  rooted  in  the  ground,  the 
higher  it  lifts  its  top  into  the  sunlight.     That 
giveth  to  all  men  liberally.     In  the  origi- 
nal '  men  '  does  not  occur,  and  it  is  not  needed 
in  the  translation  :   'that  giveth'  is  a  partici- 
ple agreeing   with   'God.'     The  sense  of  the 
passage  would  be  expressed  by  a  repetition, 
'the  giving  God  that  giveth,'  etc.     He  is  the 
giving   One.     Prayer   for  the  supply  of  our 
needs   is  encouraged   by  God's  cordiality  in 
giving — by  the  temper  and  the  policy  of  the 
King  of  heaven.     "  Tliat  giveth  to  all,"  not 
only  to  those  who  ask  aright  (Bengel)  or  even 
ask  at  all ;  so  great  is  his  loving  fatherly  care! 
He   giveth    "simply"    or   "freely,"    as    the 
Syriac    reads.      The    rendering  of  awAi?  by 
liberally  is  incorrect.     The  idea  is  that  God's 
gifts  are  not  ostentatious,   or  interested,   or 
embarrassed  with   conditions,  exceptions,  or 
counter    demands,  as  the    gifts  of  the  rich 
(ver  10)  were   wont   to  be;  but  that  they  are 
granted  from  a  pure  desire  to  bless.     ^Matt.6: 22; 
Rom.i2:8.)    And  upbraidcth  not.    This  does 
not  repeat  the  same  thought  in  a  negative 
form  (Winer),  but  indicates  a  new  feature  in 
the  mode   of  the   divine   giving,  which  does 
not    offensively   recall    the  benefits    already 
given,  or  rebuke  the  applicant  who  asks  for 
more.     Not  unfrequently  the  rich  giver  re- 
proaches the    poor  for  their  folly,  improvi- 
dence, and  sloth,  and  so  makes  his  gifts  hu- 
miliating and  detested.     God,  on  the  contrary, 
neither  bargains  with  the  suppliant,  nor  rails 
against  him — he  gives.     And  it  shall   (will) 
be  given  him.    Another  encouragement  to 
the  petitioner  is  afforded  by  the  direct  prom- 
ise of  a  favorable  response  to  his  application. 
God  has  pleasure  in  giving  to  all;  but  he  "is 
rich  unto  all  that  call  upon  him."     (Rom.  lo:  12; 
Matt.7:7.)    The  clausc  is  impersonal  and  the 


principle  it  asserts  is  general  (uohns:  h),  the 
object  for  which  prayer  is  made  being  put  in 
the  background;  and  yet  no  doubt  there  is  a 
special  reference  here  to  the  wisdom  needed 
and  implored  by  believers  in  trial.  Compare 
Solomon's  prayer  for  wisdom,  and  the  gra- 
cious answer.       (1  Kings  3  :  a-l2  ;  2  Chron.  1 :  10-12.) 

6.  From  ver.  6-8  we  have  shown  how  wis- 
dom is  to  be  sought;  what  the  character  of 
acceptable  prayer  must  be.  But  let  him  ask 
in  faith,  nothing  waLxering— doubting.  The 
Greek  word  for  'but'  (6e),  like  the  German 
abe7',  is  used  in  paiticular  where  an  explana- 
tion is  annexed,  whether  as  an  integral  part 
of  the  sentence,  or  as  a  complete  sentence,  as 
here.  (Winer.)  It  indicates  that  the  thought 
is  pursued,  as  also  does  the  injunction,  'Let 
him  ask,'  which  is  repeated  from  ver.  5.  Trust 
in  God  is  indispensable  to  right  and  accept- 
able prayer;  the  'faith'  which,  relying  upon 
God's  power,  good  will,  and  faithfulness, 
assures  itself  of  a  gracious  answer.  James 
magnifies  the  office  of  faith  here,  as  the  condi- 
tion of  acceptance  with  God.  Compare  Mark 
11:  24;  Matt.  21:  21;  Mark  11:  23;  Rom.  4: 

20.  Nor  does  he  contradict  himself  when,  in 
the  subsequent  chapter,  he  vindicates  its  prac- 
tical character.  'Nothing  doubting'  {doubt- 
ing not  at  all)  expresses  the  same  idea  as  'in 
faith,'  but  strengthens  it  by  putting  it  in  a 
negative  form.  Compare  Rom.  4:  20:  "(Abra- 
ham) staggered  not  (wavered  not)  at  the  prom- 
ise of  God  through  unbelief,  but  was  strong  in 
faith,  giving  glory  to  God."     See  Matt.  21: 

21.  Doubt  is  the  conflict  of  belief  and  unbe- 
lief, in  which  unbelief  is  gaining  ground. 
Hermar:  "Remove  thy  doubting,  and  thou 
needest  not  doubt  in  asking  anything  from 
God."  For  he  that  wavereth  {douhtefh)  is 
like  a  wave  of  the  sea,  driven  with  th3 
Avind  and  tossed.  Tor'  (yap)  may  occur 
several  times  in  succession  with  a  change  of 
reference;  in  such  passages  it  often  gives  the 
ground  of  a  series  of  separate  thoughts,  sub- 
ordinate one  to  another.  (Winer.)  One  dis- 
suasive against  doubting  is  derived  from  the 
character  of  the  doubter,  which  has  no  sta- 
bility, but  is  swayed  by  external  circum- 
stances :  this  is  compared  to  a  wave  of  the  sea. 
There  can  be  no  peace  or  constancy,  which 


18 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  I. 


7  For  let  not  that  man  think  thait  he  shall  receive 
any  thing  of  the  hord. 
6  A  doubleminded  man  is  unstable  in  all  his  ways. 


let  not  that  man  think  i  that  he  shall  receive  any 

8  thing  of  the  Lord ;  a  doubleminded   man,  unstable 

9  in  all  his  ways.    But  let  the  brother  of  low  degree 


1  Or,  that  a  double-minded  man,  unstable  in  all  his  ways,  shall  receive  any  thing  of  the  Lord. 


comes  from  wisdom,  in  a  spirit  inconstantly 
fluctuating  here  and  there,  now  swelling  with 
hope,  now  sinking  into  despondency,  as  for- 
tune changes.  (131.57:20,21.)  Only  when  the 
tempted  soul  cleaves  firmly  to  God  can  it  be 
tranquil,  secure,  and  triumphant.  Then  faith, 
itself  unmoved,  moves  mountains.  (Matt.  21 :  21.) 
The  wind-tormented  billow,  aimlessly  moving 
to  and  fro,  is  a  lively  picture  of  the  unrest  of 
a  doubting  soul.  During  the  residence  of 
Mary's  family  at  Capernaum,  on  the  Sea  of 
Galilee,  James  often  beheld  the  natural  phe- 
nomenon which  he  here  refers  to — that  sheet 
of  water  being  often  disturbed  by  violent  tem- 
pests, such  as  the  one  Bartlett  describes  in  his 
"  Footsteps  of  Our  Lord  and  His  Apostles." 
First  the  cool  breeze  rushed  down  the  ravines 
that  lead  to  the  lake,  and  began  to  ruffle  its 
placid  bosom.  "As  it  grew  darker,  the  breeze 
increased  to  a  gale,  the  lake  became  a  sheet  of 
foam,  and  the  white-headed  breakers  dashed 
proudly  on  the  rugged  beach;  its  gentle  mur- 
mur was  now  changed  into  the  wild  and  sor- 
rowful sound  of  the  whistling  wind  and  the 
agitated  vvaters.  Afar  off  was  dimlj'  seen  a 
little  barque,  struggling  with  the  waves,  and 
then  lost  sight  of  amidst  the  misty  rack." 
Comp.  Matt.  8:  24.  James  had  himself  been 
a  doubter  (until  after  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus),  and  could  therefore  describe  this  class 
from  his  owii experience.  (Neander's  "Plant- 
ins;,"  etc.,  p.  326.)  A  similar  expression  is 
found  in  Heb.  13:  9:  "Be  not  carried  about 
with  divers  and  strange  doctrines."  In  like 
manner  Jude  describes  this  class  as  "wander- 
ing stars"  (ver.  13),  and  "clouds  driven  by  the 
winds."      (Ver.  12.) 

7.  Another  reason  for  the  warning  of  ver. 
6— the  prayers  of  the  doubter  will  not  be 
heard.  Liet  not  that  man  think.  Thus  the 
hope  that  God's  favor  may  be  secured  by 
something  merely  external  is  denounced  ;  see 
a  similar  expression  in  Matt.  3:  9 — 'Think 
not.'  The  expression,  'that  man,'  breathes 
contempt.  "Such  a  man  as  that  shall  have 
nothing  given  to  him."  That  he  shall  (will) 
receive  anything  from  the  Lord — that  is, 
of  the  things  prayed  for.  He  may  share  with 
others  in  such  benefits  as  the  Lord,  the  giver 


of  all  good,  bestows  and  scatters  with  indis- 
criminating  bounty  (ver.  5) ;  but  he  shall  re- 
ceive nothing  in  answer  to  prayer.  Hence, 
the  spiritual  blessing  of  wisdom  is  unattain- 
able by  the  doubter. 

8.  A  double-minded  man  (is)  unstable 
in  all  his  ways.  The  verb  'is'  (which  is 
not  in  the  Greek)  should  not  occur  in  the 
translation;  for  both  'double-minded  man' 
and  'unstable  in  all  his  ways'  are  in  apposi- 
tion to  '  that  man,'  in  ver.  7  (so  in  the  Syriac), 
and  explain  why  no  blessing  is  imparted  in 
such  a  ca.se.  The  characteristics  of  the  doubter 
have  already  been  exhibited  in  a  figure  (ver.  s); 
he  is  now  plainlj'  described  both  as  to  his 
spirit  and  his  conduct.  'A  double-tninded 
man  ' — such,  in  character,  is  the  doubter.  He 
has,  as  it  were,  two  souls  contending  with  each 
other — the  one  turned  to  God,  the  other  turned 
away  from  God,  and  hence  to  the  world  ;  he 
wishes  to  be  the  friend  of  God  and  the  friend 
of  the  world  at  the  same  time,  although  the 
friendship  of  the  world  is  enmity  to  God. 
(James4:4.)  This  was  the  cause  of  Solomon's 
defection.  (iKiacsii:  6.)  He  wavers  between 
faith  and  unbelief.  Hence,  he  is  unprepared 
to  receive  the  blessings  he  asks,  or  even  to 
offer  the  kind  of  prayer  upon  which  the  gift 
is  conditioned.  Double-mindedness  is  neither 
the  ground  of  the  wavering  (Wiesinger),  nor 
its  result  (Lange),  but  its  characteristic  spirit. 
(Huther.)  See  note  on  James  4:  8.  Un- 
stable in  all  his  ways.'  The  outer  conduct 
will  correspond  with  the  internal  discord. 
The  double-minded  man,  yielding  now  to  this 
inclination  or  motive,  now  to  that,  is  fickle 
and  unreliable  in  his  undertakings  and  acts. 

(Pa.  91:  11;   Jer.  16:  17;  Prov.  3:  6.)       As     JcSUS     Siracll 

(2:12)  says:  "He  walks  upon  two  roads." 
This  discord  both  in  the  inner  and  outer  life 
prevents  the  reception  of  the  heavenly  gift  of 
wisdom.  Only  a  heart  single  and  sincerely 
devoted  to  God  may  expect  his  spiritual  bless- 
ings. (Matt.  6:  22.)  Adams  (on  2  Peter) 
quaintly  describes  such  a  person  as  an  ill- 
broken  horse  having  no  pace,  and  a  bat  which 
has  both  wings  and  teeth,  but  is  neither  beast 
nor  bird  (p.  488).  The  adjective  is  applied 
by  Hippocrates  to  fevers  which  observe  no 


Ch.  I.] 


JAMES. 


19 


9  Let  the  brother  of  low  degree  rejoice  in  that  he  is  I  10  glory  in  his  high  estate:  and  the  rich,  in  that  he  is 
exalted:  made  low :  because  as  the  flower  of  the  grass  he  shuU 

10  But  the  rich,  in  that  he  is  made  low:  because  as 
the  flower  of  the  grass  he  shall  pass  away.  | 


periods,  and  by  Demosthenes  to  variable 
winds. 

c.  9-12.  Another  help  to  heroic  steadfastness 
in  trials  is  a  correct  estimate  of  the  external 
and  spiritual  conditions  of  men,  and  also  of 
the  results  of  trials  endured  in  a  Christian 
spirit. 

The  two  extremes  of  Christian  social  life 
are  here  designated — that  of  the  poor(ver.  9), 
and  that  of  the  rich.  (ver.  lo,  ii.)  The  exhor- 
tation in  ver.  12  is  addressed  to  both.  All 
classes  are  enibraced  by  Christianity.   (2:n; 

5:13.) 

9.  (But)  let  the  brother  of  low  degree. 

'But,'  which  the  English  Version  omits,  is 
important  as  showing  that  the  writer  brings 
into  contrast  the  state  of  the  lowly  brother 
whom  God  exalts,  with  that  of  the  waverer 
(ver.  8),  for  whoni  there  is  no  hearing  at  the 
mercy  seat.  The  title  'brother,'  indicating 
the  intimacy  and  tenderness  of  the  Christian 
relation,  is  considerately  applied  to  the  poor, 
rather  than  to  the  rich.  (ver.  lo.)  The  '  low 
degree'  refers  to  poverty;  and  this  not  only 
as  imposing  limitations  and  cares  from  whicli 
affluence  is  exempt,  but  as  exposed  to  worldly 
reproach  and  carnal  temptations,  prejudicial 
to  steadfastness.  It  indicates  Christians  who 
live  at  once  in  a  state  of  poverty  and  a 
time  of  persecution.  Huther  makes  the  ex- 
pression indicate  the  Christian  in  his  entire 
lowly  condition  in  the  world,  as  one  con- 
temning riches,  rejected  by  the  world,  in- 
wardly troubled,  and  walking  in  humility 
before  God;  but  this  is  to  spiritualize  the 
text,  rather  than  to  interpret  it.  That  the 
poor  in.  spirit  have  tlie  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  true  (Matt. s:  3),  but  that  truth  is  not  asserted 
here.  In  that  he  is  exalted — glory  in  his 
exaitntioii — the  Christian  dignity  now  pos- 
sessed and  hereafter  to  be  displayed.  The 
elevated  thought  that  the  poor  saint  is  now 
a  son  of  God,  and  that  he  has  an  inheritance 
of  glory,  will  prove  a  safeguard  against  de- 
spondency, and  under  trial  and  privation. 
Let  him  estimate  his  privileges  at  their  true 
value,  and  he  will  find  therein  consolation, 
strength,  and  joy.  The  figure  in  this  and  the 
following  verses  is  an  oxymoron,  where  the 


words  or  phrases  are  apparently  contradic- 
tory ;  but,  in  fact,  are  congruous,  because 
used  in  diflTerent  senses.  In  Scripture,  the 
oxymoron  usually,  if  not  always,  displays  in 
a  lively  manner  the  contrast  between  natural 
and  spiritual  conditions.  So  in  1  Cor.  7:  '22. 
"The  servant"  {bondsman)  called  in  the 
Lord,  is  the  Lord's  freeman,  the  freeman 
called,  is  Christ's  bondsman."  (Weisinger. ) 
"He  that  findeth  his  life  shall  lose  it;  and  he 
that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it." 
(Matt.  10: 39.)  This  figure  was  more  common 
anciently  than  it  now  is.  In  the  spirit  of 
.James,  Chrysostom  says:  "Scatter,  that  thou 
mayest  not  lose;  keep  not,  that  thou  maj'est 
keep;  lay  out,  that  thou  mayest  save;  spend,, 
that  thou  mayest  gain."  In  verses  9,  10.  the 
subject  of  the  sentence  indicates  believers  in 
their  secular  and  civil  state;  the  object  indi- 
cates their  spiritual  condition. 

10.  But  the  rich  in  that  he  is  made  low 
— literally,  in  his  huniilintion.  After  'rich,' 
brother  is  to  be  supplied,  as  it  is  expressed 
after  'poor'  in  the  parallel  member  of  the 
sentence.  In  such  a  connection,  both  the 
adjectives,  'poor'  and  'rich'  (ver. 9,10),  which 
answer  the  one  to  the  other,  must  have  the 
same  noun,  "brother,"  and  to  each  of  these 
nominatives  the  same  verb,  'let  (hitn)  glory,' 
must  serve.  Any  other  construction  would 
be  strained  and  unnatural.  Difficulties  of  in- 
terpretation must  not  be  allowed  to  disturb 
the  grammatical  order,  and  pervert  the  plain 
meaning  of  the  text :  '  But  let  the  rich  brother 
glory  in  his  humiliation.'  The  rich  brother, 
in  the  Dispersion,  was  exposed  to  persecution 
as  well  as  the  poor  brother.  Although  now 
favored  of  fortune,  and  abounding  in  worldly 
goods,  he  was  in  danger  of  losing  his  posses- 
sions, on  account  of  his  adherence  to  the  gospel. 
And  the  rich  brother  in  the  church  (compare 
1  Tim.  6:  17-19)  needed  the  resources  of 
heavenly  wisdom  as  well  as  others.  The 
cause  of  his  glorying  was  that  riches  had,  in 
his  estimation,  ceased  to  have  any  substantial 
value.  What  gave  him  worldly  distinction 
and  splendor  had  lost  its  glory,  having  been 
eclipsed  b3'  the  nobler  blessings  he  possessed 
as  a  Christian  ;  he  had  the  same  high  dignity 


20 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  I. 


11  For  the  sun  is  no  sooner  risen  with  a  burning  I  11  pass  away.    For  the  sun  ariseth  with  the  scorching 
heat,  but  it  withereth  the  grass,  and  the  tiower  ihereol  |        wind,  and  withereth  the  grass ;  and  the  flower  there- 


as  that  imparted  to  his  needy  and  now  suffer- 
ing brother — a  glory  independent  of  all  secu- 
lar conditions,  superior  to  reproach  ('i  sam.6:22) 
and  to  pain.  (2Cor.  12:  ».)  He  was  humbled, 
yet  exalted  in  recognizing  the  vanity  of  all 
earthly  glory.  Because  as  the  flower  of 
the  grass  (a  flower  of  grass)  he  shall  {will) 
pass  away.  This  is  the  ground  of  appeal  to 
the  rich  brother  to  rejoice  in  his  humiliation. 
He  has  been  released  from  dependence  upon 
the  earthly  pomp  and  fortune,  which,  as  a  dis- 
ciple of  Christ,  he  must  expect  to  lose.  Soon 
he  will  cease  to  be  distinguished  from  the  poor 
of  the  believing  company  ;  as  a  rich  brother  he 
will  'pass  away,'  he  will  cease  to  be.  As  the 
flower  which  gives  beauty  to  the  grass  soon 
withers,  so  in  his  case  whatever  decorates  the 
earthly  life  will  certainly  disappear.  'Flower' 
does  not  here  indicate  the  bud  or  shoot,  asinlsa. 
11:  1  (Septuagint),  but  the  bloom  itself.  The 
figure,  which  is  further  developed  in  ver.  11, 
occurs  also  frequently  in  the  Old  Testament. 
It  indicates  the  fortune  of  man  in  general, 
(jobu:  1.)     He  cometh  forth  like  a  flower,  and 

is    cut    down.         (Isa.  40:  6,  7;  Ps.  lOS:  15;  IPeterl:  24.) 

But,  what  is  especially  observable,  this  com- 
parison, which  is  used  in  the  Old  Testament 
to  depress  the  pride  of  the  ungodly,  is  here 
employed  to  sustain  the  courage  of  believers. 
Note. — These  verses  (9, 10)  show  how  un- 
christian is  the  union  of  Church  and  State,  by 
which  the  arbitrary  distinctions  of  earthly 
societies  are  sought  to  be  perpetuated  in  the 
kingdom  of  God.  For  here  it  is  intended  that 
these  accidents  of  wealth  and  rank  shall  disap- 
pear in  the  presence  of  a  greater  than  earthly 
monarchs,  and  in  the  reception  and  enjoy- 
ment of  prerogatives  which  the  world  cannot 
confer.  (1  cor.  16:  20;  1  xhess.  5:  26.)  Here  the  rich 
and  the  poor  meet  together  before  the  Lord 
— the  Maker  and  the  Kedeemer  of  them  all. 
In  the  fact  that  the  poor  man,  rather  than  the 
rich,  is  called  a  brother,  the  genius  of  Aposto- 
lic Christianity  finds  expression.  Says  Quinet, 
in  his  "Roman  Church  and  Modern  Society," 
§  IX  :  "  In  the  ideal  of  the  Christian  Church, 
everj'thing  was  done  by  the  people:  priests, 
deacons,  bishops,  becamesuch  by  election,  and, 
as  it  were,  sprang  from  the  public  conscience. 
Now  [among  the  Establishments]  nothing  in 
the  Church  is  done  by  the  people;  never  more 


through  them  is  the  voice  of  God  interrogated. 
This  is  what  authorizes  me  to  say  that  the 
spirit  of  modern  institutions,  in  replacing 
everything  upon  this  basis  of  the  public  con- 
science, of  the  sovereignty  of  the  people,  is 
incontestibly  in  its  principle  nearer  the  Chris- 
tian ideal,  than  is  at  the  present  day  the 
organization  and  institution  of  the  Church." 
Compare  a  modern  Pastoral  with  an  Apos- 
tolic Epistle;  in  the  former,  the  Church, 
meaning  the  clergy,  is  always  magnified;  in 
the  latter,  the  Christian  brotherhood;  in  the 
former,  we  vainly  seek  for  such  an  address  as 
that  of  Paul  to  the  Corinthians:  "All  the 
brethren  salute  you  "  ;  or  that  which  James 
despatched  in  the  name  of  the  apostles  and 
elders  aiid  brethren  unto  the  brethren  in  An- 
tioch.  (Actsi5:23.)  The  subject  is  worthy  of 
comment,  since  it  shows  how  profound  is  the 
chasm  which  separates  the  hierarchical 
churches  from  those  founded  by  Christ's 
apostles.  The  policy  of  the  Vatican,  in  its 
contest  for  temporal  sovereignty  and  secular 
possessions,  has  no  warrant  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. 

11.  For  the  sun  is  no  sooner  risen,  etc. 
In  the  original,  the  illustration  in  this  verse  is 
given  in  the  form  of  an  incident,  a  past  event 
of  familiar  observation.  The  verbs  are  in  the 
aorist,  which  indicates  facts  that  have  already 
taken  place,  and  these  verbs  coming  together, 
as  they  do  here,  express  the  rapid  succession 
of  the  events.  (Winer.)  Literally,  the  text 
would  read  :  "  For  the  sun  rose  with  the  burn- 
ing wind,  and  withered  the  grass;  and  the 
flower  thereof  fell  off,  and  the  grace  of  tlie 
fashion  of  it  perished :  so  also  will  the  rich 
fade  away  in  his  ways.-'  This  mode  of  ex- 
pression gives  vivacity  to  the  picture  (Isa.40:7) 
in  the  original ;  yet  it  cannot  be  transplanted 
without  awkwardness  into  English.  '  The  sun 
rose  with  the  burning  heat.'  The  reference 
appears  to  be  to  the  simoom — in  Palestine  an 
east  wind,  which  comes  arid  and  scorching 
from  the  Arabian  deserts.  It  is  often  referred 
to  in  the  Old  Testament,  (hos.  12:  i;  i3:  is;  Jcr. 
18:  17;  Ezek.  17:  16;  Job 7: 21.)  ("Winer's  "Realwort- 
erbuch.)  Grimm's  and  Huther's  objection 
to  this  reference  that  the  sun  is  here  said 
to  wither,  and  not  the  heat,  does  not  avail; 
for  what  is  eflfected  by  the  winds  attending 


Ch.  I.] 


JAMES. 


21 


falleth,  and  the  grace  of  the  fashion  of  it  perisheth :  so 
also  sliall  the  rich  man  fade  away  in  his  ways. 

12  Blessed  is  the  man  that  endureth  temptation :  for 
when  he  is  tried,  he  sliall  receive  the  crown  of  lite, 
which  the  Lord  hath  promised  to  them  that  love  him. 


of  falleth,  and  the  grace  of  the  fashion  of  it  perish- 
eth: so  also  shall  the  rich  man  fade  away  in  his 
goings. 

12  Blessed  is  the  man  who  endureth  temptation:  for 
when  he  hath  been  approved,  he  shall  receive  the 
crown  of  life,  which  t/ie  Lord  promised  to  them  that 

13  love  him.     Let  no  man  say  when  he  is  tempted,  I 


the  sunrise  (Jooahtis)  may  be  referred  to 
the  sun  itself;  just  as  the  ravages  of  an  in- 
vading host  are  charged  upon  their  leader. 
So  also  shall  the  rich  mau  fade  away  in 
his  ways.  The  ways  are  a  figure  for  the 
manner  of  life;  here  they  represent  the  pro- 
jects and  undertakings,  the  pomps  and 
pleasures  belonging  to  a  state  of  earthly  pros- 
perity. Whatever  temporal  possession,  what- 
ever favorable  external  circumstance  adorns 
the  earthly  life,  will  be  withered  by  perse- 
cution. 'Also'  emphasises  the  resemblance 
to  the  figure.  As  the  flower  which  glorifies 
the  grass  drops  off,  and  the  beauty  of  its  ex- 
ternal appearance  (Ps.  104:  M,  Luke  12:  56;  Matt.  16:3) 

perishes  in  the  hot  blast  of  the  desert,  so  also 
does  the  rich  man,  in  the  season  of  calamity, 
lose  whatever  distinguishes  him  from  his  fel- 
lows; and  such  experiences  those  believers 
who  were  now  thriving  in  their  possessions, 
activities,  and  enterprises,  must  expect  to  en- 
dure. These  reverses  of  fortune  are  tragical 
only  in  the  case  of  the  wealthy  unbeliever, 
who,  in  losing  his  wealth,   loses  everything. 

(Ps.  49:  5-20;  Luke  12  :  16-21;  le':  19-26.) 

12.  Encouragement  both  to  those  who  are 
in  depressed  circumstances,  and  to  those  who 
will  be  reduced  to  tliat  condition  by  the  perse- 
cutions of  the  enemies  of  the  gospel.  What 
they  prize  most  higlily,  their  choicest  good,  is 
not  e.vposed  to  any  contingency,  and  will  not 
fade  away.  This  assurance  of  blessing  con- 
cludes one  of  the  trains  of  thought  introduced 
in  ver.  2.  Blessed  is  the  man  that  endur- 
eth temptation — who  amid  the  tribulations 
occasioned  by  his  Christian  profession  adheres 
to  the  duties  of  piety.  The  texts  recalls  Ps. 
1,  and  unfolds  its  deeper  meanings;  as  in 
that  Psalm,  (ver. i)  so  here,  there  is  no  'is'  in 
the  original;  the  omission  in  both  cases 
strengthens  the  ascription.  There  is  no 
emphasis  upon  'the  man,'  as  if  the  person  in 
view  were  distinguished  from  soft  and  effemi- 
nate professors,  who  easily  give  way  in  trial ; 
the  emphasis  rather  falls  upon  'endureth.' 
It  is  one  thing  to  bear  the  cross,  another  to 
endure  under  the  burden,   in   the  ways  and 


spirit  indicated  in  ver.  3,  4,  9-11.  Temptation 
refers  to  those  various  troubles  and  calamities, 
permitted  by  God  for  tne  purpose  of  testing 
the  faith,  piety,  and  virtue  of  his  people. 
When  temptations  produce  the  intended 
effect,  then  they  bring  approval  and  reward. 
(Matt. 5: 11,12.)  For  whcn  he  is  tried  {approved) 
he  shall  receive  the  crown  of  life.  '  For' 
indicates  the  reason  of  the  blessing.  The 
believer  who  has  patiently  borne  the  ordeyl 
of  affliction,  and  who  is  '  approved  '  after  due 
examination  and  trial  of  his  case,  will  receive 
a  glorious  recompense  of  grace.  It  is  not 
certain  that  either  the  contests  of  athletes,  or 
the  purification  of  metals  by  fire  is  here 
referred  to,  although  both  may  be  used  in  the 
way  of  illustration.  The  figure  of  reward  is 
striking.  'The  crown  of  life'  is  the  same  us 
"the  crown" — i.  e.,  "life,"  the  second  noun 
being  equivalent  to  an  appositivc  according  to 
a  common  usage,  as  when  we  say,  "The  city 
of  New  York,"  meaning  only  "  the  city.  New 
York."  There  may  here  also  be  no  reference 
to  the  reward  of  victors  in  the  Greek  games  ; 
as  among  the  Jews  a  crown  or  diadem  in  itself 
suggested  royal  power  or  eminent  glory,  (ps. 
21:  3;  wisi.  of  Sol. 5:  16, 17.)  Life  is  the  crowu  with 
which     God's    steadfast    confessor     will    be 

adorned    (Rev.  2:  lO;  l  Peter  5:  4;  2  Tim.  4:8) — that    life 

which  alone  deserves  the  name,  life  spiritual 
from  its  beginning,  and  hereafter  perfect, 
blissful,  and  eternal,  and  thus  beyond  the 
reach  of  human  malice  and  temporal 
calamity ;  a  blessing,  to  obtain  which  the 
persecuted  Christian  may  joyfully  consent  to 
suffer  and  to  die.  Which  the  Lord  (/if) 
hath  promised  to  them  that  love  him. 
'The  Lord'  is  not  in  the  original ;  read  'he,' 
referring'  not  to  Christ,  but  to  God.  The 
certainty  of  the  reward  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  it  is  promised  by  the  Sovereign  of 
heaven.  The  divine  engagements  are  unlike 
the  promises  of  fickle  fortune,  (ver.  10, 11.)  Re- 
wards are  assured  to  those  who  endure  trial 
from  love  to  God,  in  contrast  with  the  "double 
minded."  (ver.  8.)  Love  produces  endur- 
ance; for  those  who  love  God  appreciate  the 


22 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  I. 


13  Let  no  man  say  when  he  is  tempted,  I  am  tempted 
of  God:  for  God  cannot  be  tempted  with  evil,  neither 
templet  h  he  any  man  : 


am  tempted  i  of  God :  for  God  2  cannot  be  tempted 
14  with  3 evil,  and  he  himsell  tempteth  no  man:   but 


1  Gr./rom i  Or,  i»  untried  in  evil 3  Gr.  evil  things. 


kindly  wisdom  that  measures  and  controls  the 
trials  of  life,  and  the  blessed  end  to  which 
these  trials  lead.  Hence  those  who  love  the 
Lord,  and  those  who  endure  temptation  are 
the  same.  Compare  Kom.  8:  28.  In  the 
theology  of  James,  love  is  the  essence  of  true 
faith;  hence  the  repetition  of  this  phrase. 
(James  2: 5.)  Compare  the  whole  passage  with 
2  Tim.  4:  8.  "Henceforth  there  is  laid  up 
for  me  the  crown  of  rijjhteousness  which  the 
Lord,  the  righteous  judge  shall  give  me  at  that 
day;  and  not  to  me  only  but  unto  all  them 
also  that  love  his  appearing." 

2)  13-18.  Exhortation  to  steadfast  and  pa- 
tient endurance  under  temptation  of  sin.  It  is 
natural  to  one  swayed  by  temptation  to  vindi- 
cate himself  by  the  plea  of  necessity,  and  to 
urge  that  circumstances,  which  God  orders, 
have  exercised  an  irresistible  power  over  his 
intellect,  his  passions,  or  his  will.  James 
shows  the  futility  of  this  plea  by  appealing  to 
the  nature  of  God  (ver.  is) — to  the  experiences 
of  men  under  temptation  (ver.  u,  is) — and 
finally  to  the  divine  dispensations,     (ver.  le-is.) 

a.  Argument  from  the  nature  of  God. 

13.  Let  no  man  say  when  he  is  tempted, 
1  am  tempted  of  (from)  God.  Here  temp- 
tation is  taken  in  the  same  sense  as  in  the 
previous  verses ;  but  the  attitude  of  the  persons 
now  considered  is  different  from  that  of  those 
previously  addressed.  Both  classes  are  tempted 
to  apostasy  by  the  danger  of  death,  of  suffer- 
ing, or  of  loss  of  goods.  But  the  former 
endure  temptation ;  the  latter  dally  with  it, 
and  seek  for  grounds  to  justify  them  in  yield- 
ing to  its  seductions  or  threatenings.  Thus, 
what  was  a  salutary  trial  in  one  case,  becomes 
in  the  other  case  a  motive  and  allurement  to 
sin,  through  the  unhallowed  desires  or  crimi- 
nal fears  it  has  awakened.  James  indicates 
what  apostates,  in  such  a  case,  were  wont  to 
'say';  'I  am  tempted  from  God.'  'He  it  is 
who  so  orders  these  circumstances  that  I  have 
no  alternative  but  to  give  way.'  This  pre- 
text was  familiar,  doubtless,  to  the  Phari- 
sees,   who   were    fatalists    (Josh.  "Bell.Jud."  2:8,  u), 

and  was  current  among  the  Jewish  people. 
"Wisd.  of  Jesus,  son  of  Sirach,"  15:  11-22. 
It  is  also  the  common  resort  of  men  every- 


where to  cast  the  blame  of  their  sins  upon 
providence.  Hom.  "Iliad"  v.  86:  "I  am 
not  in  fault,  but  Jove  and  Fate."  Plautus : 
"God  drove  me  on."  Perhaps  the  apostates 
perverted  passages  of  the  Old  Testament,  such 
as  Exod.  9  :  16.  But  on  the  contrary,  as  James 
had  already  insisted,  God  allows  trial  so  as  to 
make  men  better;  the  evil  arising  from  it 
comes  from  another  source;  let  no  one  trace 
it  to  him!  For  God  cannot  be  tempted 
with  evil,  neither  tempteth  he  any  man. 
The  first  clause  may  signify  either  that  God 
is  untempted,  or  that  he  cannot  be  tempted; 
both  amount  to  the  same  thing  in  this  passage. 
The  holiness  of  God  disproves  the  pretext  of 
the  apostate;  God  is  unversed  in  temptation, 
and  even  inaccessible  to  it.  In  his  dealings, 
he  acts  according  to  his  own  nature,  just  as 
men  do.  Hence  he  has  no  experience  of  evils, 
cannot  be  contaminated  with  them,  cannot  be 
tempted  by  them.  The  conclusion  follows 
that  the  origin  of  evil  cannot  be  found  in  God. 
He  cannot  induce  men  to  do  what  is  wholly 
repugnant  to  his  own  nature  and  will. 

Note. — In  reference  to  the  apparent  contra- 
diction of  this  text  with  other  passages,  it  may 
be  ob.served  that  where  God  is  said  to  tempt 

men  (Exod.  15:  25;  Judg.  3: 1-i;  1  Cor.  10:  13),  theSC  paSSagCS 

signify  that  God  tests  men,  not  to  allure  to 
sin,  but  to  give  an  opportunity  of  overcoming 
it,  for  which  purpose  he  apportions  the  trial 
to  the  strength  (i  cor.  lo:  is),  and  also  gives  the 
aid  of  his  Holy  Spirit  (James  4: 6),  the  light  of 
nature,  the  voice  of  conscience,  and  the  warn- 
ings of  his  law.  When  blinding  and  harden- 
ing of  heart  are  ascribed  to  God,  the  evil  is 
the  result  of  a  trial  abused.  The  work  of 
temptation  in  its  evil  character  is,  already  in 
the  Book  of  Job,  and  more  frequently  in  the 
New  Testament,  ascribed  to  Satan.  (Matt.  4:  i; 
1  Cor.  7:5.)  Yet  not  in  such  a  sense  that  the 
blame  of  yielding  to  it  may  be  shifted  from 
ourselves.  The  idea  that  God  is  the  Author 
of  Sin,  either  through  his  decrees,  or  the  cir- 
cumstances in  which  he  places  us,  or  the 
desires  and  opportunities  he  gives  us,  or  on 
accountof  his  withholding  restraining  grace,  is 
monstrous.  All  the  expressions  of  his  will, 
whether  uttered  in  Scripture,  or  the  system  of 


Ch.  L] 


JAMES. 


23 


14  But  every  mau  is  tempted,  when  he  is  drawn 
away  of  liis  own  lust,  and  enticed. 

15  Tlien  wlien  lust  hatb  conceived,  it  bringeth  fortli 
sin:  and  sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth  deatli. 


each  man  is '  tempted,  when  he  is  drawn  away  by 

15  his  own  lust,  and  enticed.    Then  the  lust,  when  it 
hath  conceived,  beareth  sin:  and  the  sin,  when  it  is 

16  fullgrown,  bringeth  forth  death.    Be  not  deceived, 


1  Or,  tempted  by  Ats  oum  luets,  being  drawn  away  b;  it,  and  enticed. 


nature,  or  the  general  drift  of  his  providence, 
proclaim  that  the  wrong  is  harmful  and  unlit 
to  be  done.  The  free  agency  he  bestows  on 
men  may  indeed  be  perverted  to  wrongdoing; 
but  it  was  bestowed  as  the  necessary  condition 
of  virtue  and  piety ;  neither  of  which  can 
exist  without  liberty  of  choice.  Hence  the 
existence  of  moral  evil  does  not  impugn  either 
the  benevolence  or  the  holiness  of  God.  He 
is  not  tempted  with  evil  neither  tempeth  he 
any  man.  Seneca  said  (Ep. 95):  "The  gods 
can  neither  suffer  wrong  nor  inflict  it."  How 
much  wiser  this  heathen  was  than  some  who 
profess  to  be  Christians  ! 

b.  Argument  from  the  experiences  of  men. 
Ver.  14-15. 

14.  The  efficient  cause  of  sin  is  found,  not 
in  God,  but  in  the  evil  heart  of  man.  (Matt. 
15:  19.)  Every  man — or,  each  one,  is  here 
antithetic  to  'no  mtm,'  in  the  previous  verse. 
His  own  is  also  expressive,  standing  in  oppo- 
sition to  "he."  (ver.  13.)  Whatever  the 
circumstances  of  the  case  may  be,  that  which 
allures  men  to  sin  (as  tish  or  game  are  enticed 
by  a  bait,  3:  7)  is  within  us,  not  without.  It 
is  'lust,'  an  evil  concupiscence  (Rom. 7:  7),  an 
inordinate  love  for  sensual  delights  and 
worldly  advantages;  a  disposition,  temper, 
and  habit  of  soul  indocile  to  the  purity  of 
Christian  truth,  and  the  power  of  Christian 
motive.  No  suggestion  of  evil  can  mislead 
us  until  we  embrace  it.  The  inspired  writer 
makes  his  representation  more  spirited  by 
personifying  Lust,  Sin,  and  Death.  The  idea 
of  a  harlot  (introduced  by  the  amatory  figures 
derived  from  the  arts  of  hunting  and  fishing), 
isdistinctly  brought  forward  in  the  verbs  "con- 
ceived "  and  "brought  forth."  (ver.15.)  As 
the  fish  or  game  is  drawn  out  from  its  place 
of  security,  and  is  enticed  into  the  snare  or 
net,  so  by  the  harlot  Lust  the  man  is  drawn 
to  herself;  that  he  is  captured  is  implied  in 
his  being  enticed.  See  2  Peter  2  :  14,  18,  where 
the  same  word  occurs  in  the  Greek.  '  Drawn 
away'  implies  movement;  '  enticed  '  implies 
state.  Compare  Ps.  1 :  1,  where  the  succes.sive 
stages  of  progress  in  sin  are  represented  by 
walking,  standing,  and  sitting. 


Note. — The  manner  in  which  James  de- 
scribes the  operations  of  man's  free  agency  in 
its  abuse,  is  almost  paradoxical.  The  desire 
for  the  forbidden  object — the  gold  which 
attracts  the  covetous,  the  beauty  which  attracts 
the  sensual — ^is  the  man's  own  ;  yet  no  sooner 
is  it  encouraged,  than  it  becomes  alien  and 
mtilignant  to  its  possessor — a  net  to  catch  in 
tlie  path  of  error,  a  hook  that  pierces  the 
eager  tongue  through  the  bait  of  pleasure. 
The  same  idea  is  involved  in  the  familiar 
word  "habit" — first  the  man  has  the  habit, 
and  then  the  habit  has  the  man. 

15.  Then  when  lust  hath  conceived,  it 
bringeth  forth  sin.  Then  the  transition 
from  the  sinful  desire  to  the  sinful  act  is 
described.  The  figure  of  ver.  14  is  retained, 
and  is  pursued,  so  as  to  show  the  fruit  pro- 
ceeding from  the  meretricious  enticement. 
When  the  evil  inclination  is  not  promptly 
suppressed,  but,  on  the  contrary,  is  cherished 
with  pleasure  (compare  Gen.  3:  16),  the  will 
of  the  man  is  surrendered  to  it,  and  is  impreg- 
nated by  it.  Sin  follows  the  seduction  as 
naturally  as  birth  follows  conception.  The 
pampered  sensuality  which  thus  produces  sin 
is  itself  sin,  as  in  nature  everj'thing  produces 
its  own  kind;  yet  the  sin  indicated  here  is 
externtil,  whether  apostasy  or  some  other  sort 
of  sin.  This  natural  history  of  temptation  is 
related  to  show  that  temptation  cannot  come 
from  God.  As,  both  grammatically  and  rhe- 
torically. Lust  and  Sin  are  feminine,  neither 
of  them  should  be  represented  by  the  neuter 
pronoun  'it.'  The  text  would  be  more  fitly 
rendered:  'Then  Lust,  having  conceived, 
bringeth  forth  Sin.'  Sin,when  it  is  finished, 
bringeth  forth  death.  'Sin'  (in  the  first 
clause,  without  the  article)  indicates  the  gen- 
eral character  of  the  fruit  of  lust,  whatever 
its  outward  expression  may  be.  James  repre- 
sents sin  as  something  having  its  own  life,  and 
continually  developing  itself,  and  at  length 
reaching  maturity  and  exercising  a  supreme 
and  destructive  power  over  human  nature. 
It  was  not  to  his  purpose  to  draw  any  distinc- 
tion here  between  the  single  finished  deed — 
sin  which  incurs  the  sentence  of  death,  and 


24 

JAl 

^ES. 

[Ch. 

I. 

16  Do  not 

17  Every 

err,  my  beloved  brethren, 
good  gift  and  every  perfect 

gift 

is 

from 

17  my 
pel 

beloved  brethren 
feet  gilt  is  from 

.    Every  good 
above,  coming 

igift 
dowi 

and  every 
from  the 

lOr, 

giving. 

the  completed  course  of  sinning,  the  impious 
and  wicked  life  which  receives  the  award  of 
perdition.  In  any  case,  sin,  when  it  has 
attained  its  full  form  and  strength,  is  the 
mother  of  death.  Tlie  soul  that  has  yielded 
to  temptation  suffers  the  loss  of  that  life  which 
is  alone  worthy  of  the  name,  and  also  the 
inner  misery  arising  from  sin,  having  its 
beginning  on  earth,  and  after  the  death  of 
the  body,  enduring  and  increasing  forever. 
Evil  gives  birth  to  evil ;  the  evil  desire  is 
followed  by  the  evil  act,  and  this  by  death 
spiritual  and  eternal.  The  idea  is  not  that 
men  are  made  mortal  by  sin  ;  for  here  death 
is  the  opposite  of  that  life  which  God  has 
promised  to  them  that  love  him  (ver.  12)  ;  it  is 
eternal  death.  "The  wages  of  sin  is  death; 
but  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life."  Kom.  6: 
23;  compare  James  5:  20.  That  temptation 
leads  to  death  proves  that  it  cannot  proceed 
from  God  who  is  the  Author  of  life.  Yet  it 
deserves  to  be  added,  as  showing  the  harmony 
of  ver.  14,  15  with  ver.  13,  that  this  order  of 
the  Divine  Government,  which  connects  sor- 
row and  death  with  sin,  also  illustrates  the 
goodness  of  God.  The  odiousness  of  sin  thus 
displayed  may  aid  the  guilty  in  the  work  of 
repentance  and  reformation,  may  restrain  the 
tempted,  confirm  the  virtuous  in  good  prin- 
ciples and  habits,  and  urge  the  philanthropic 
to  more  vigorous  efforts  for  the  restoration  of 
the  fallen  and  the  well  being  of  their  race. 
Peabody:  "Christianity  the  Religion  of 
Nature,"  p.  104. 

c.  Argument  from  the  Divine  Dispensa- 
tions.    Ver.  16-18. 

16.  Do  not  err,  my  beloved  brethren. 
James  thus  introduces  an  additional  proof 
that  God  is  not  the  author  of  evil.  He  has 
been  arguing  that  God's  nature  excludes  the 
possibility,  now  he  appeals  to  the  great  facts 
of  his  administration.  God  is  the  Author  of  all 
good.  He  is  the  fountain  of  the  hopes  that  men 
cherish,  and  theblessings  thatthey  receive,  not 
of  the  evils  that  they  commit.  '  Do  not  err.' 
The  same  formula  occurs  elsewhere  after  the 
denial  of  .some  false  opinion,  as  in  1  Cor.  6:9; 
15:  33;  Gal.  6:7.  It  introduces  an  appeal 
to  Christian  consciousness  and  experience  to 


confirm  the  writer's  statement.  In  all  the 
other  passages  it  is  translated  in  the  Common 
Version,  "  Be  not  deceived."  The  warning 
was  important  here,  because  no  falsehood  can 
be  more  mischievous  and  impious  than  that 
which  James  was  opposing.  To  regard  God 
as  the  author  of  sin  would  be  a  rejection  of 
the  whole  system  of  Christian  faith  and 
morals.  'My  beloved  brethren'  not  only 
shows  the  importance  of  the  subject  discussed, 
but  also  the  aflfection  of  the  writer.  In  warn- 
ing, he  sought  to  conciliate;  and  he  assumed 
the  tone  of  persuasion  because  he  loved.  So 
fatal  an  error  needed  to  be  corrected  in  lan- 
guage of  solemn  tenderness.  And  in  appealing 
to  the  fraternal  relation  which  unites  believers 
to  each  other,  he  at  the  same  time  reminded 
his  readers  of  the  filial  relation  which  they 
all  sustained  to  the  Head  of  the  Christian 
family.  To  entertain  doubts  in  regard  to  the 
goodness  of  God,  would  quench  the  filial  spirit 
of  reverence,  gratitude,  and  love.  Errors  in 
religion  cannot  but  aflfect  the  character  and 
conduct;  and  most  prejudicial  of  all  are  those 
errors  which  depress  our  trust  in  God. 

17.  The  third  proof  that  God  is  not  the 
author  of  sin  is  derived  from  his  abounding 
and  continuous  beneficence.  If  all  good 
comes  from  God,  temptation  to  evil  cannot. 
This  verse  is  antithetic  to  ver.  14,  15.  As  from 
lust  comes  sin,  and  then  death,  the  perfected 
fruit  of  sin,  so,  on  the  other  hand,  proceeds 
from  God  the  good  and  the  perfect.  Every 
good  gift  and  every  perfect  gift— 6oon. 
This  phrase  forms  a  perfect  hexameter,  and 
may  be  the  fragment  of  an  early  church 
hymn.  The  substantives  are  different  in  the 
original,  although  from  the  same  verb:  the 
first  is  the  act  of  giving,  in  which  resides  the 
moral  quality  'good' ;  the  second  rather  indi- 
cates the  boon  itself— it  is  a  free  gift,  which  is 
'perfect'  as  suited  to  the  needs  of  its  recipient, 
whether  they  be  physical  or  spiritual.  (Rom. 
5:16.)  "We  must  suppose  more  than  natural 
gifts  to  be  here  referred  to — not  only  provi- 
dential bounties,  but  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  right- 
eousness, peace,  and  joy.  God's  good  gifts 
are  the  opposite  of  lust-engendered  sins;  and 
God's  perfect  gifts  the  opposite  of  sin-engen- 


Ch.  L] 


JAMES. 


25 


above,  and  comet h  down  from  the  Father  of  lights, 
with  whom  is  uo  variubleuess,  neither  shadow  of  turn- 
ing. 

18  Of  his  own  will  begat  he  us  with  the  word  of 
truth,  that  we  should  be  a  kindof  firstfruits  of  his  crea- 
tures. 


Father  of  lights,  with  whom  can  be  no  variation, 
18  neither  shadow  that  is  cast  by  turning.    Of  his  own 
will  he  brought  us  forth  l)y  the  wonl  of  truth,  that 
we  should  be  a  kiud.of  firstfruits  of  his  creatures. 


dered  death,  (ver.  i«,  is.)  Divine  in  its  origin 
is  every  blessing  we  desire,  hold,  or  expect — 
whatever  tends  to  completeness  and  happi- 
ne.ss,  whatever  tends  to  righteousness  and 
piety.  This  principle  is  the  redeeming  feat- 
ure in  Matthew  Arnold's  system.  He  de- 
scribes the  Hebrew  intuition  of  God  as  the 
conception  of  the  Eternal  that  makes  for 
righteousness,  and  as  a  revelation  needed  to 
breathe  emotion  into  the  laws  of  morality, 
and  to  make  morality  religion.  ("Literature 
and  Dogma,"  p.  87.)  Is  from  above — that 
is,  from  heaven,  like  the  new  birth  of  the 
human  soul.  (John  3:  3,  margin.)  With  the 
text  compare  Acts  14:  17;  John  6:  32.  And 
Cometh  down  from  the  Father  of  lights — 
literally,  coming  dovm,  a  participle  comple- 
mentary to  the  preceding  clause,  and  empha- 
sizing the  thought  that  God  is  the  Author  of 
our  blessings.  'The  Father  of  lights' — liter- 
ally, of  the  lights — that  is,  the  heavenly  orbs. 
(18.135: 7;  jer.  4 : /3.)  God  is  Called  their  Father, 
because  he  has  created  and  ever  sustains 
them.  The  light  they  shed  is  therefore  a 
reflection  of  his.  Their  glor^'  and  beneficence 
are  at  once  a  religious  argument  and  a  divine 
revelation,  (isa.  40:26;  Ps.  ht:  4.)  Whatever  they 
symbolize  and  express  must  be  in  their  cause. 
Hence,  nothing  dark  or  evil  can  issue  from 
him.  (iJohni:5.)  With  whom  is  no  vari- 
ableness, neither  shadow  of  turning 
may  be  translated  with  whom  is  no  change  or 
shadoiv  from  turning.  The  reference  i.^  to  the 
apparent  revolutions  of  the  heavenly  bodies. 
They  change  their  position,  and  they  fall  into 
obscurity  and  eclipse.  There  is  nothing  like  this 
in  God,  whose  transcendent  glory  is  disturbed 
by  no  shadows  (compare  "  Book  of  Wis- 
dom"  7:  20;  "Knapp's  Theology,"  ?  20),  and 
\vhose  nature,  purposes,  and  dispositions  are 
unchanging.  He  is  entirely  and  unalterably 
good,  and  so  transcends  what  is  most  admir- 
able in  creation.  From  such  a  being  only 
good  and  perfect  gifts  can  come.  James  rec- 
ognized God  as  One  who  dwelt  'above'  the 
trials  and  temptations  of  which  he  had  been 
speaking,  above  the  firmament  whose  blue 
depths  are  so  oft  beclouded,  above  the  stars 


whose  glory  is  so  oft  bedimmed;  and  adored 
him  as  the  unchanging  Father  of  lights,  and 
as  our  Father  in  heaven  (ver.  is),  whose  mercy 
endureth  forever. 

18.  This  verse  gives  a  more  convincing  proof 
of  God's  purity  ;  it  is  found  in  those  spiritual 
creations  which  render  him  a  higher  glory 
than  the  orbs  of  light.  The  importance  of 
the  thought  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it 
crowns  the  exordium,  and  is  the  foundation 
on  which  the  whole  succeeding  argument  is 
built.  Of  his  own  will  begat  he  us.  'Be- 
gat' is  an  allusion,  by  contrast,  tover.  15,  where 
the  same  word  is  used  in  the  original.  It  sig- 
nifies a  birth  which  is  not  according  to  the 
order  of  nature — there  the  monstrous  progeny 
of  lust  and  sin,  here  virtuous  souls  super- 
naturally  generated  by  God  (2Peieri:4),  and 
having  more  glory  than  the  stars;  the  same 
creative  power  kindles  the  lights  of  earth  and 
the  lights  of  heaven.  Moral  darkness  cannot 
proceed  from  such  a  being.  His  nature  is 
contrary  to  evil.  This  appears  also  from  the 
motive  which  engages  in  the  new  creation — 
his  own  will.  The  Syriac  gives:  "He  saw  fit 
and  begat."  Compare  Eph.  1:  5  James 
teaches  that  regeneration  is  not  the  result  of 
chance  or  cajirice  or  fate,  but  of  the  free,  de- 
liberate will  of  God.  (John  1 :  13 ;  1  Peter  1 : 
23.  See  also  "the  good  pleasure  of  his  will," 
Eph.  1:5.)  The  writer  has  Jewish  Christians 
especially  in  view,  as  the  sequel  shows,  but 
the  principle  applies  to  all  believers.  With 
the  word  of  truth.  The  argument  is 
strengthened  by  this  addition.  The  means 
employed  in  regeneration  is  the  truth,  the 
pure  and  blessed  gospel,  revealing  God's  na- 
ture and  will  and  the  way  of  salvation. 
(Eph.  1:13.)  That  Ave  should  be  a  kind  of 
firstfruits  of  his  creatures.  The  object  of 
the  work  of  creation  was  worthy  of  a  holy 
God.  He  designed  to  produce  a  higher  style 
of  creatures,  separated  from  the  world,  incor- 
porated into  his  family,  devoted  to  noble  and 
immortal  ends.  According  to  the  Jewish 
law,  the  first  fruits,  as  the  choice  portion  of 
the  harvest,  and  as  its  symbol  and  pledge, 
were  consecrated  to  God.     (Num.  \&:u;  Lev. 23:  lO; 


26 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  I. 


19  Wherefore,  my  beloved  brethren,  let  every  man 
be  swift  to  hear,  slow  to  speak,  slow  to  wrath : 


19      1  Ye  know  this,  my  beloved  brethren.     But  let 


1  Or,  knotv  ye. 


Deut.  26:  2.)  So  with  the  first  begotten  of  a 
family.  (Deut.  21:17;  Gen.  49:  3.)  HcTe  James  is 
not  considering  the  state  of  Christians  in  gen- 
eral, but  that  of  the  early  disciples  whom  he 
addressed,  and  who  had  received  the  first 
fruits  of  the  Spirit.  (Kom.  8:  23.)  They  were 
'a  kind  of  first  fruits'  of  the  creation  of  God 
(the  figure  is  modestly  softened).  All  believ- 
ers are  his  creatures  in  a  special  sense,  as  his 
workmanship  (Eph.  2:  lo)  and  his  oflfspring. 
(ijohns:  1,2.)  But  the  early  believers  were  the 
chief  and  noblest  part  of  the  new  creation,  if 
not  more  holy  and  devoted  than  all  the  others, 
yet  sanctifying  them  all.  They  were  the  ear- 
liest confessors  and  martyrs  of  the  faith,  and 
its  only  apostles.  Like  the  peaks  of  the 
mountains,  they  first  caught  the  light  of  the 
coming  day  that  was  to  bless  the  whole  world. 
The  author  of  our  Epistle  was  soon  called  to 
shed  the  sacred  blood  which  should  be  the 
seed  of  the  churches  of  the  future.  Those 
ancient  saints  were  the  first  fruits  of  the  gos- 
pel harvest.  And  as  in  Judoa,  the  remaining 
harvest  followed  after  the  presentation  of  the 
first  fruits,  so  should  the  salvation  of  believers 
ever  extend  more  widely  from  this  beginning. 
A  powerful  motive  to  them  to  endure  in  trial 
and  temptation  !  In  this  text  James  renders 
a  noble  tribute  to  the  gospel :  it  is  the  word  of 
truth,  and,  as  such,  God's  instrument  of  re- 
generation. Patterson:  "  Its  divinity  secures 
its  truth,  and  both  are  satisfactorily  proved 
by  miracles  performed  and  prophecies  ful- 
filled; by  the  testimony  of  Christ  and  the 
martyrdom  of  the  apostles;  by  the  majesty  of 
Scripture  doctrine,  and  the  purity  of  Scrip- 
ture ethics;  by  the  adaptation  of  both  to  the 
intellect,  the  conscience,  and  the  heart,  and 
by  the  practical  effects  which  have  followed 
in  their  train." 

Note. — In  this  verse  we  think  that  the 
aorist  would  have  been  more  appropriately 
translated  by  our  perfect  ("he  has  begotten 
us"),  as  has  been  done  in  the  Common  Ver- 
sion.      (James  2 :  5,  6 ;  5 :  3,  5,  11.)      Our  perfect   is   a 

tense  peculiarly  appropriate  in  letters  or 
speeches  addressed  by  the  living  to  the  living 
in  relation  to  matters  within  their  common 
experience.     For  in  the  use  of  the  perfect  the 


speaker  regards  the  action  or  condition, 
though  past,  as  included  within  a  period  of 
time  still  present;  and  this  he  is  permitted  to 
do,  if  that  action  or  condition  is  co7inected 
with  the  present.  It  may  be  thus  connected 
either  by  the  present  existence  of  the  subject, 
as,  "I  have  been  young,  but  now  am  old,"  or 
by  the  present  continuance  of  the  result,  as, 
"Milton  has  written  as  noble  works  in  prose 
as  in  poetry"  ;  or  by  the  present  continuance 
of  some  attending  circumstance  of  time  or 
place,  as,  "Many  important  discoveries  have 
been  made  in  the  present  century";  "Upon 
this  continent  a  great  civil  war  has  been 
fought."  It  will  be  evident  from  these  illus- 
trations that  the  aorist  will  sometimes  appear 
in  Greek  where  our  idiom  more  naturally 
employs  the  perfect.  Nor  is  any  violence 
done  to  the  sense  of  the  original  by  the 
change;  for,  as  Winer  observes,  "It  often  de- 
pends upon  the  writer  which  of  the  two  tenses 
he  will  use,  as  the  difi'erence  between  them  is 
sometimes  very  slight."  For  this  acute  criti- 
cism upon  a  much-disputed  point,  we  are 
indebted  to  Prof.  T.  J.  Dill,  of  Howard  Col- 
lege. 

19,  20.  Theme  and  Division  of  the 
Epistle. 

19.  This  verse  and  the  next  exhibit  the 
main  divisions  of  the  Epistle,  which  specify 
the  characteristics  of  a  child  of  God  under 
trials  and  amid  temptations.  They  show 
wherein  is  to  be  exercised  the  steadfastness 
which  James  has  been  commending  in  the 
general  introduction  to  the  Epistle.  In  par- 
ticular the  exhortation  "to  hear"  refers  to 
the  "word  of  truth"  (ver.  is),  and  is  resumed 
and  explained,  (i:  21-2: 26.)  The  injunction  in 
regard  to  restraint  in  speech  is  unfolded 
in  chapter  3:  1-12.  That  in  regard  to  the 
temper  and  spirit  is  developed  in  chapter  3: 
13-4:  17.  And  the  threefold  division  is  re- 
called, as  we  shall  see,  in  chapter  5. 

Wherefore.  This  word  is  not  justified  by 
the  highest  authorities,  which  give  instead, 
ye  know  or  know  ye.  The  imperative  is  more 
suitable,  as  a  form  of  address  (compare  chap. 
1 :  Ifi),  but  does  not  accommodate  itself  to  the 
demands   of  the   sentence.     It  should   read  : 


Ch.  L] 


JAMES. 


27 


20  For  the  wrath  of  man  worketh  not  the  righteous- 
ness of  God. 

21  Wherefore  lay  apart  all  tilthiuess  and  superfluity 


every  man  he  swift  to  hear,  slow  to  speak,  slow  to 

20  wrath  :  for  the  wrath  of  man  worketh  not  the  right- 

21  eousuess  of  God.    Wherefore  putting  away  all  tillhi- 


'  Ve  know  it,  my  beloved  brethren ;  but  let 
every  man,  etc.  Let  your  elevation  in  God's 
esteem  (ver.  w)  lead  to  tlie  study  of  the  word 
and  improvement  in  virtue.  The  begotten  of 
a  holy  God  must  themselves  be  holy  ;  and  to 
every  man  (contrast  to  'no  man,'  ver.  13) 
the  means  of  spiritual  discipline  is  the  perfor- 
mance of  the  duties  here  indicated.  My  be- 
loved brethren.  A  modeof  address  common 
among  early  believers,  (icor.  id:58;2  leters:  u.) 
Christian  fellowship  is  helpful  to  the  attain- 
ment of  the  ideal  of  the  Christian  life.  The 
lessons   here   inculcated  recall    those  of  the 

Jewish    sages.    (Pmv.  13:  3;  I4:  29;  EccI.  S:  2.)       Swift 

to  hear — the  divine  word  is  specially  referred 
to ;  a  ready  reception  of  it  and  a  cordial  sub- 
mission may  well  be  indicated  as  the  first  dut^' 
of  disciples.  Fraternal  counsel  is  implied. 
Slow  to  speak  involves  deliberation  in 
judging  as  well  as  speaking  in  regard  to  life's 
trials,  and  in  regard  to  the  truth  of  God  upon 
which  human  virtue  and  happiness  depend. 
(Prov.  10:  19.)  "Speak  neither  against  God,  nor 
improperly  of  God — but  for  God."  There 
was  great  freedom  of  exhortation  and  teach- 
ing in  the  early  Church;  James  warns  his 
readers  that  this  involved  grave  responsibility. 
(Neander,  "Planting  and  Training,"  p.  356.) 
Slow  to  wrath.  Wrath  is  not  simply  dis- 
pleasure; but  active,  passionate  anger,  which 
may  manifest  itself  either  in  impatience  under 
God's  dealing,  or  viiidictiveness  under  inju- 
ries and  reproaches  from  men,  or  disputatious 
bitterness  in  maintaining  what  may  be  re- 
garded as  the  truth.  Compare  chap.  3:  13. 
'Wrath'  easily  assumed  in  that  day, as  it  does  in 
ours,  the  guise  of  conscientiousness.  Huther: 
"The  warning  points  to  Christians  who  used 
the  gosi^el  as  the  Pharisees  did  the  Law,  not 
for  their  sanctification,  but  for  the  satisfaction 
of  their  lust  of  condemning  and  contending." 
Compare  chap.  3.  The  conduct  of  Christians 
in  their  assemblies  is  specially  but  not  exclu- 
sively refered  to. 

20.  This  verse  gives  the  ground  of  the 
warning,  'be  slow  to  wrath.'  As,  in  the  orig- 
inal, the  definite  article  is  wanting  in  the  two 
instances  where  it  occurs  in  the  English,  the 
literal  translation  is  :  For  m,an'' s  wrath  work- 
eth not  God's  righteousness.     For  the  wrath 


of  man.  Wrath  is  a  powerful  passion,  and 
works  efiectively  in  secular  and  political 
affairs;  it  is,  however,  alien  to  the  Christian 
society,  and  to  the  kingdom  of  Gud.  (1  Tim.  2:  a.) 
It  is  closely  related,  as  the  etymology  shows, 
totheother  impulsive  passions,  and  is  treated  as 
their  representative.  (3: 13-4: 17.)  The  right- 
eousness of  God  is  that  righteousness  which 
pleases  God,  and  which  he  requires.  Com- 
pare Acts  4:  19;  Gal.  6:  10.  It  is  the  opposite 
of  the  sin  or  iniquity  which  the  unregenerate 
heart  works.  (Matt.  7: 23;  james2:  9.)  Wrath  Can- 
not be  pleasing  to  God;  for  there  is  no  pas- 
sionate violence  in  his  nature;  his  law  is  love, 
and  his  cause  is  hindered  by  an  intemperate 
zeal.  The  warning  of  our  text  was  specially 
needed  by  the  Jews,  who  had  a  zeal  for  God, 
but  not  according  to  knowledge  (Rom.  10:2), 
and  who  thought  that  they  were  serving  God 
by  violent  outbursts  against  those  whom  they 
regarded  as  sinners  and  heretics.  (John  16:2.) 
A  similar  thought  occurs  in  Eccl.  7:  9,  "Be 
not  hasty  in  thy  spirit:  for  anger  resteth  in 
the  bosom  of  fools."  Our  text  is  more  specific 
than  Matt.  5:  22.  No  emphasis  falls  upon  the 
word  man,  as  if  the  inspired  writer  were  here 
warning  against  a  passion  more  intense  and 
constant  than  thatof  the  child,  and  more  vehe- 
ment and  violent  than  thatof  the  woman.  The 
principle  applies  to  all  classes  and  cases.  Lu- 
ther: "Anger  and  punishment  are  not  prohib- 
ited when  God's  command  and  the  necessity 
of  the  case  require;  but  wrath  which  springs 
from  personal  impulse  and  p  ission,  and 
which  is  a  brief  madness."  By  a  spirit  so 
contrary  to  its  own  the  cause  of  Religion  can- 
not be  promoted.  On  the  contrary,  only  a 
temper  serene  under  injury  and  submissive 
in  affliction,  as  it  is  of  divine  origin,  is  fitted 
to  receive  and  propagate  the  truth.  See  next 
verse. 

I.  Division,  21-2:  26.  The  Godly  in 
Trial  and  Temptation  must  be  Swift  to 
Hear. 

1.  The  word  must  be  received  as  the  inner 
law.     Ver.  21. 

21.  Wherefore  lay  apart  (better,  putting 
off,  as  a  defiled  garment)  all  filthiness.  In 
this  verse  the  exposition  of  the  first  division 
of  the  Epistle  begins,  the  heed  and  honor  to 


28 


JAMES. 


of  naughtiness,  and   receive   with   meekness   the  en- 
grafted word,  which  is  able  to  save  your  souls. 

22  But  be  ye  doers  of  the  word,  aud  not  hearers  only 
deceiving  your  own  selves.  ' 


[Ch.  I. 


ness  and  overflowing  of  i  wickedness,  receive  with 
meekness  the   ^implanted  word,  which  is  able  to 

22  save  your  souls.    But  be  ye  doers  of  the  word,  and 

23  not  hearers  only,  deluding  your  own  selves     For  if 


1  Or,  malice 2  Or,  inborn. 


be  accorded  to  the  word.    'Wherefore'  points 
back  to  the  previous  verse,  and  prepares  for 
the  injunction  in  regard  to  the  manner  of  re- 
ceiving the  word.     'Filthiness'   is  the  syno- 
nym of  wickedness ;  the  adjective  is  used  in  a 
similar  figurative  sense  in  Rev.  22:  11:   "He 
that  is  filthy  let  him  be  filthy  still."     It  rep- 
resents sin  as  the  defilement  of  human  nature, 
and   hence   embraces,   not  only   immorality, 
but  wrath    also.     (Actsis:  20;  i  PeterS:  21.)     And 
superfluity  of  naughtiness— that  is,  abund- 
ance  or  excess   of   maliciousness.     The    evil 
here  condemned  is  that  which  is  opposite  to 
meekness,  as  the  connection  shows;  it  is  the 
wickedness  which  finds  expression  and  plea- 
sure in  injuries  to  others.   (Epii.4: 31.  coi.a:  s:  Titus 
3: 3.)     It  is  the  active  hostility  which  disturbs 
Christian  fellowship,  and  vitiates  the  inculca- 
tion of  Christian  truth.     The  evil  which  lurks 
within,  and  that  which  streams  out  into  life, 
must  be  repressed   and    rejected,  that  there 
may  be  place  and  opportunity  for  the  good  to 
grow.  (iPeter2:i;Eph.  4;22, 23.)   In  meckness  re- 
ceive   the    engrafted    (better,    implanted) 
word.     'Meekness'    is  a  spirit,   gentle    and 
kindly  under  provocation.      It  is,  specially. 
Christian  love  and  forbearance  in  reference 
to   others,     (i  Peter  3:  15.)     Thosc   whom    James 
addressed  were  not  to  hear  the  word  that  it 
might  be  used  as  a  weapon  of  maliciousness, 
nor  were  they  to  indulge  toward  its  unsparing 
teachers  an  angry  stubbornness  or  impetuous 
opposition,  which  would  eifectually  "bar  the 
ear,  the  mind,  the  heart,  the  life  against  the 
truth."     On  the  contrary,  the  word  was  to  be 
received  and  taken  to  heart  (Matt.  13 :  23)^  work- 
ing deliverance  from  sin  inwardly.     The  ex- 
pression  is  paradoxical.     They   had  already 
received'  the  word  ;   they  were  to  receive  it 
again  and  again  that  their  spiritual  life  might 
flourish.     The   word   is  the  gospel,  which  is 
compared  to  seed.   (1  Peter  1:23 ;  Luke 8: 4.)     Which 
is   able   to   save  your  souls.     Here  is  the 
ground  of  the  exhortation.     Heed  and  honor 
the  word  as  the  agency  which  God  employs 
to  save  you.     The  gospel   is  "the  power  of 
God  unto  salvation  unto  every  one  that  be- 
lieveth."     (Kom.  i:  16;  johnc:  63,  es.)     It    convcvs 


[  transcendent  blessings  to  the  soul.  As  those, 
therefore,  who  would  enjoy  the  pre:,ent  sup- 
ports and  graces  that  it  conveys,  and  the 
future  blessedness  that  it  pledges,  you  are 
required  to  submit  your  natures  to  its  trans- 
forming influence.  To  give  up  our  sins  by  a 
genuine  repentance  and  to  embrace  the  gospel 
with  faith  and  docility  is  the  only  method  by 
which  the  immortal  soul  can  be  saved  ;  then 
the  word  becomes  for  us  and  in  us  "mighty 
through  God." 

2.    The  word  must  be  heeded  as  the  rule  of 
life.     Ver.  22-25. 

22.  That  the  word  must  be  received  as  the 
rule  of  life  is  now  shown  in  the  paragraph. 
(Ver.  22.25.)     Hence  it  must  be  not  only  obeyed 
(ver.  22-24),    but    pondered    and    persisted    in. 
(Ver. 25.)     But   be   ye   doers   of-  the   word. 
'But'  connects  this  verse  with  the  previous 
one,  and  guards  the  reader  against  the  sup- 
position that  a  mere  recognition  of  the  truth 
of  the  gospel  suflBces  for  salvation.     It  is  not 
necessarily  implied  that  those   to  whom   the 
injunction  was  addressed  had  not  obeyed  at 
all.     Johnstone:    "The  believer  should   al- 
ways be  becoming  in  larger  measure  what  he 
is  already  in  some  measure,  wise,   holy,  and 
happy."     The  doers  of  the  word  are  the  ob- 
servers of  the  gospel,  those  who  recognize  it 
as  prescribing  a   line   of  conduct,   and   who 
obey  its  prescriptions   as   their  law.     (ver.25.) 
"  Truth  is  for  life.  "     And  not  hearers  only, 
deceiving  your  OAvn  selves.    The  passage 
is  an  allusion  to  the  "Sermon  on  the  Mount." 
(Matt.  7:  24.)     The  Same  thought  occurs  in  Rom. 
2:  13.     The   use  of  this   word   'hearers,'   in- 
stead of  'readers,'  refers  us  to  an  age  when 
the  gospel  was  known  for  the  most  part  only 
through    the    communications  of  the   living 
teacher.    Those  who  satisfy  themselves  merely 
with  an  ineflPective  knowledge  of  the  word, 
cheat  or  defraud  themselves.     The  term  ren- 
dered 'deceiving'  meant  originally,  drawing 
false  conclusio7is,  but  it  came  to  suggest  the 
idea  of  loss  as  well  as  of  delusion.     Compare 
the  Septuagint,  Gen.  31 :  7,  41.     God's  people 
are  not  actors,  to  whom   a  solemn  but  empty 
role  of   profession    has  been     assigned,    but 


Ch.  L] 


JAMES. 


29 


23  For  if  any  be  a  hearer  of  the  word,  and  not  a  doer, 
he  is  like  uutu  a  man  beholding  his  natural  face  in  a 

24  For  he  behokleth  himself,  and  goelh  his  way,  and 
straightway  forgetteth  what  mauner  of  man  he  was. 

25  But  whoso  looketh  into  the  perfect  law  of  liberty. 


any  one  is  a  hearer  of  the  word,  and  not  a  doer,  he 
is  like  unto  a  man  beholding  his  i  natural  face  in  a 

24  mirror:  fur  he  beholdeth  himself,  and  goeth  away, 
and  straightway  forgetteth  what  manner  of  man  be 

25  was.     But  he  that  looketli  into  the  perfecl  law,  the 


1  Gr.  the /ace  0/ hie  birth. 


factors  .sent  out  to  trafBc  for  him  with  heavenly- 
graces  and  temporal  things.  (Adams,  on  2 
Peter  p.  00(3. ) 

2a.  For.  The  statement  made  in  verse  22  is 
now  confirmed  by  a  comparison.  The  mere 
hearer  of  the  word  is  likened  to  one  who  idly 
beholds  his  image  in  a  mirror.  The  mirrors 
used  by  the  ancients  were  of  polished  metal. 
(Kxod.38: 8;  Job 37: 18.)  Usually  the  imperfect  image 
they  gave  was  employed  to  indicate  our 
scanty  knowledge  of  divine  things,  which  we 
see  as  by  means  of  a  mirror  "darkly,"  as  in 
1  Cor.  13:  12,  although  glass  may  be  here 
meant,  or  talc.  But  here  the  fact  that  the 
mirror  does  give  an  image,  otherwise  unseen, 
is  made  to  illustrate  the  principle  under  con- 
sideration. It  exhibits  to  the  beholder  his 
natural  face,  literally,  the  face  of  his  birth, 
the  face  he  was  born  with.  This  is  distin- 
guished from  the  real  man— the  moral 
physiognomy— the  true  portrait  of  the  soul. 
The  word  of  God  can  alone  exhibit  the  man 
as  he  is,  and  reveal  to  him  the  disorders  and 
defilements  of  unregenerate  nature.  (i  Cor. 
u:  24,25.)  And  he  who  hears  the  word  and  is 
not  a  doer,  simply  looks  into  the  mirror. 
That  the  observation  is  careless  and  hasty, 
although  not  indicated  by  the  words,  is  im- 
plied in  the  figure  and  in  the  language  of  the 
next  verse. 

24.  For  introduces  the  explanation  of  the 
figure,  which  is  given  in  the  narrative  form— 
"for  he  beheld  himself  and  has  gone  away, 
and  straightway  he  forgot  what  manner  of 
man  he  was  (in  the  mirror)."  A  common 
experience  is  represented  (so  also  in  ver.  11) 
as  a  single  past  event.  The  mere  hearing  of 
the  word  does  not  benefit  the  man  any  more 
than  did  his  transient  look  into  the  mirror. 
(Matt.  7: 24.  seq.)  The  haste  and  carelessness 
with  which  he  has  turned  to  other  matters  is 
indicated,  not  only  by  straightway,  but  by 
the  repetition  of  the  conjunctions.  The  re- 
sult is  forgetful  ness.  (2Peteri;9.)  The  reflec- 
tion of  the  mirror  does  not  remove  the  stains 
and  disorders  it  discloses;  the  revelations  of 
the  word  are  of  no  advantage  unless  they  in- 


duce a  spiritual  change.  They  show  to  a 
man  his  moral  condition,  his  want  of  con- 
formity to  the  requirements  of  God,  and  be- 
ing forgotten  they  leave  him  unreformed  and 
unblest. 

Note — Our  translators  decided  wisely  when 
they  declined  to  transfer  the  Greek  idiom  in 
this  passage  into  our  language;  indeed  we 
cannot  but  admire  their  judgment  in  the 
translation  of  the  aorist  in  almost  every  in- 
stance where  it  occurs  in  our  Epistle.  In 
twelve  instances,  where  it  has  reference  to 
historical  events  (2;  21-25;  5:  n,  is),  they  ren- 
der it  as  the  exact  equivalent,  of  the  histori- 
cal perfect  of  the  Latins.  Thirteen  times 
they  render  it  by  our  perfect  tense,  with  the 
auxiliary  "have";  here  the  reference  is  to 
events  occurring  in  indefinite  past  time. 
Usually  the  habitual  actions  of  the  parties  ad- 
dressed, or  else  the  dealings  of  God  with  his 
people.  (2: 5, 6;  5:  3, 5, 11.)  There  is  but  one 
exception  (5:  10),  where  the  historical  event 
should  have  been  given  in  the  narrative  form, 
"the  prophets  who  spoke."  In  nine  instances 
the  aorist  has  been  translated  by  the  present, 
the  reference  being  made,  with  one  exception, 
to  general  fitcts  ;  the  assertions  are  valid  for  all 
times,  and  therefore  also  for  the  present.  Com- 
pare the  fading  flower  (i:  n),  the  observer  at 
the  mirror  (i:  "),  the  social  customs.  (2:  •».  etc.) 
The  text  4:  5  is  exceptional ;  here  the  perfect 
would  have  been  more  appropriate.  Prof. 
Dill,  of  Howard  College,  has  carefully  grouped 
and  illustrated  these  passages;  but  his  essay 
upon  the  subject  is  too  elaborate  for  reproduc- 
tion here. 

25.  Here  the  figure  is  retained;  but,  in  con- 
trast with  the  negectful  hearer,  who  receives 
no  benefit  from  the  word,  the  hearer  to  whom 
it  imparts  a  blessing  is  described.  The  one 
looks,  the  other  gazes;  the  one  continues, 
the  other  goes  away;  the  one  forgets,  the 
other  observes  and  does.  The  beginning  of 
this  verse  adopts  the  narrative  form  of  ver.  24. 

Whoso  looketh  into  gives  a  stronger  idea 
than  beholding;  it  implies  that  the  beholder 
bends  towards   the    object   he   regards   with 


30 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  I. 


and  continiieth  therein,  he  being  not  a  forgetful  hearer,  |        law  of  liberty,  and  so  continueth   beine  not  a  l.pqrer 

but  a  doer  ol  the  work,  this  mau  shall  be  blessed  in  his  1        that  forgetteth,  but  a  doer  that  workelh    tliis  Yuan 

^^\f  ^    ,         ,.   .  I  26  shall  be  blessed  in  his  doing.     If  any  luau'i  tliinketh 

26  If  any  man  among  you  seem  to  be  religious,  and  |       himsell   to  be  religious,  while  he  bridleth  not  his 


1  Or,  eeemeth  to  he. 


earnest  scrutiny.  Compare  Coleridge  "Aid 
to  Refl."  Aph.  23  n.  Peter  uses  the  same 
word  to  express  the  interest  of  angels  in  the 
work  of  redemption,  and  in  allusion  also  to 
the  Cherubim  stooping  over  the  mercy  seat. 
(iPeteri:  12.)  The  perfect  law  of  liberty. 
The  gospel,  as  containing  the  rule  of  Chris- 
tian life— the  truth  which  as  received  into  the 
heart  makes  the  believer  free  (John 8:  32.)  from 
the  bondage  of  ceremonies  (Acts  is:  10),  and 
from  the  despotism  of  the  passions.  The 
inspired  writer  doubtless  has  in  view  the  most 
debasing  and  miserable  of  servitudes.  (Jahn's 
"Archeology"  ^  172.)  "The  code  of  ethics 
which  had  been  proclaimed  by  Christ,  and  of 
which  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  remains  as 
the  great  pattern  and  example."  (Plumptre.) 
This  new  law  was  'perfect'  because  it  was 
spiritual.  And  it  was  a  'law  of  liberty'  be- 
cause it  transformed  the  nature,  brought  it 
under  the  influence  of  elevating  and  com- 
manding motives,  and  thus  produced  an  un- 
constrained and  joyful  obedience  to  God. 
(Rom.  8:2.)  The  sense  of  spiritual  liberty  is 
a  holy  impulse  to  serve  God.  Even  under 
the  Old  Dispensation,  those  who  entered  into 
the  deeper  spirit  of  the  law  experienced  its 
sweetness,   (ps.  i9:  s-ii.)     In  every  age — 

He  is  the  freeman  whom  the  truth  makes  free. 

And  all  are  slaves  beside. 
And  continueth  therein.  This  does  not 
express  the  idea  of  James.  'Therein'  should 
be  stricken  out.  The  idea  is  that  the  beholder 
continues  looking  into  the  law,  so  as  to  com- 
prehend it  and  be  prepared  to  carry  out  its 
prescriptions.  The  hearer  must  attend  to  and 
utilize  the  discoveries  of  the  law,  as  one  lin- 
gers at  the  mirror  and  attentively  scrutinizes 
its  reflections,  so  that  the  person  may  be  im- 
proved and  adorned.  He  being  not  a  for- 
getful hearer.  'A  forgetful  hearer,'  is,  liter- 
ally, hearer  of  forgetfidness,  the  genitive  of 
the  noun  expressing  quality,  being  used  in  the 
place  of  the  adjective.  Thus,  in  Luke  16:  8, 
"Steward  of  injustice"  signifies  "unjust 
steward."  The  .same  form  of  expression 
appears  in  chapter  2:  4,  "judges  of  evil 
thoughts,"  for  "evil-thinking  judges."     But 


a  doer  of  the  Avork.  'The'  should  be  omit- 
ted. '  A  doer  of  work  '  is  an  emphatic  expres- 
sion, indicating  the  necessary  effect  of  the 
law  upon  one  who  attends  to  it;  then  it  can- 
not but  awaken  the  pious  activity.  This 
man  is  also  emphatic;  certainly  he,  and  only 
he,  will  enjoy  the  liberty  and  probity  which 
the  law  enjoins  and  confers.  Shall  be 
blessed  in  his  deed.  There  is  doubtless 
here  a  reference  to  the  beatitudes  of  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  (Matt.  5:  s-n),  which 
Jesus  not  only  promised,  but  experienced. 
(John 4: 34.)  The  blessing  connected  with  a  life 
of  pious  conduct  is  real,  and  abiding;  it  goes 
out  into  a  future  that  has  no  bounds.  In  his 
deed  (or,  works,  the  singular  being  used  for 
the  plural),  not  by  it.  Salvation  by  works  is 
not  implied,  but  the  correspondence  and  in- 
separableness  of  obedience  and  salvation.  [It 
would,  I  think,  be  more  correct  to  translate 
the  clause,  "shall  be  blessed  in  his  doing.'' 
The  doer  of  Christian  work  finds  a  blessedness 
which  he  does  not  consciously  seek,  in  doing 
this  work.  "It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than 
to  receive."  (Acts20:  35.)  In  like  manner  every 
act  of  service  to  the  Lord  is  in  deepest  har- 
mony with  the  spiritual  constitution  of  man, 
and  brings  into  his  soul  true  peace.— A.  H.] 

3.  The  speech  must  be  regulated  by  the  word. 
Ver.  26. 

26.  Having  insisted  upon  the  authority  of 
the  word  as  the  rule  of  life,  James  proceeds 
to  show  that  the  speech  must  be  regulated  and 
guided  by  it.  If  any  man  among  you  seem 
to  be  religious.  'Among  you'  should  be 
omitted.  The  meaning  of  religions  can 
scarcely  be  expressed,  except  by  a  para- 
phrase. It  relates  not  to  the  essence  of 
religion,  but  to  its  external  service;  not  to 
piety,  but  to  worship  (so  in  the  Syriac)— a 
sense  in  which  the  adjective  is  still  used  in 
the  unreformed  countries  of  Europe.  The 
member  of  a  monastic  order,  whose  life  is 
largely  devoted  to  acts  of  worship,  is  called  a 
"  religious."  The  text  may  be  rendered  :  If 
any  one  think  himself  to  be  a  tvorshipper,  not 
bridling  his  tongue,  but  deceiving  his  own 
heart,  this  man" s  worship  is  vain.    Johnstone 


Ch.  1] 


JAMES. 


31 


bridleth  not  his  tongue,  but  deceiveth  his  own  heart, 
this  luan's  religion  is  vain.  ,  ,    ^        „    ,        i  »i  „ 

■n  I'ure  rtligiou  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the 
Father  is  this,  To  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in 
iheir  affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the 
world. 


tongue  but  deceiveth  his  heart,  this  man's  religion 
27  is  vain.  Pure  religion  and  iiudetiKd  belore  'our 
God  and  Father  is  this,  to  visit  the  fatherless  and 
widows  in  their  affliction,  and  to  keep  himsclt  un- 
spotted from  the  world. 


1  Or,  God  and  our  Fattier. 


translates  religious  by  "observants  of  religious 
service,"  and  religion  by  "religious  service." 
'Seem,'  imagine  himself,  implies  tliat  the 
opinion  is  false,  (mhu.6:  7;  i  cor.s:  is.)  Among 
the  Jews,  religion  largely  consisted  in  external 
services ;  and  it  was  natural  that  one  who  dili- 
gently devoted  himself  to  their  performance 
should  regard  himself  as  peculiarly  acceptable 
to  God.  To  this  Paul  referred  (Acts  26:  5),  where 
the  same  word  is  used  for  '  religion'  as  in  this 
verse.  And  bridleth  not  his  tongue— does 
not  hold  his  longue  in  check.  An  apt  figure, 
which  James  repeats  (3:2.3),  and  which  is 
common  in  the  Greek  poets.  The  importance 
of  the  subject  leads  him  to  discuss  it  more  at 
large  (3:  112),  and  again  in  the  conclusion  of 
his  Epistle.  {5:12-18.)  But  the  immediate  ref- 
erence here  is  not  to  the  number  and  enormity 
of  the  sins  of  the  tongue,  but  to  the  presumed 
religious  use  of  that  member.  James  is 
rebuking  those  whose  zeal  exhausts  itself  in 
intemperate  speech  for  what  they  regard  as 
the  truth  and  cause  of  God,  and  who  suppose 
that  this  is  true  religious  service.  But  de- 
ceiveth his  own  heart.  The  condemnation 
already  implied  in  the  previous  clause  is 
now  asserted.  The  term  is  more  general  and 
stronger  tiian  that  in  ver.  22.  A  licentious 
and  intemperate  tongue  cannot  perform  even 
a  sincere  service  to  God.  The  thought  is 
brought  out  more  distinctly  in  the  character- 
ization of  such  service— it  is  'vain,'  it  is  not 
only  fruitless,  but  unsubstantial.  Compare 
1:  20.  Like  James,  the  Jewish  philosopher, 
Philo,  condemned  those  who  practiced  &ritunl 
religion  (same  word  as  in  our  text)  instead  of 
holiness. 

4.  The  social  intercourse  must  be  regulated 
by  the  toord.     1 :  27-2 :  13. 

a.  In  society,  the  gospel  enjoins  a  ritual 
service  of  charity. 

27.  Now,  to  the  unacceptable  religious 
service  of  the  unbridled  tongue  (ver. 26)  is 
opposed  pure  religion  (worship)  and  unde- 
filed before  God.  'Pure'  and  'undefiled' 
have  kindred  meanings  which  it  is  not  easy  to 
distinguish.     Yet,  from  their  connection  with 


the  appositives,  to  visit  the  afflicted  and  to 
keep  aloof  from  a  polluting  world,  we  agree 
with  Bengel  in  referring  the  first  to  the  in- 
most principle  of  religious  service,  self- 
forgetful  and  self-sacrificing  love;  and  the 
second  to  our  relations  with  the  external 
world.  The  being  whom  we  adore  is  a  Holy 
Qod.  He  is  the  Father  in  whom  the  fatherless 
findeth  mercy.  (p«-  6»  ■  »•)  And  we  serve  him 
acceptably  when  we  cultivate  a  spirit  like  his 
own.  The  general  thought  of  the  text  has 
been  finely  expressed  by  Coleridge  ("  Aids  to 
Ref.  Aph.,"  23):  "The  outward  service  of 
ancient  religion,  the  rites,  ceremonies,  and 
ceremonial  vestments  of  the  old  law,  had 
morality  for  their  substance.  They  were  the 
letter,  of  which  morality  was  the  spirit;  the 
enigma,  of  which  morality  was  the  meaning. 
But  morality  itself  is  the  service  and  cere- 
monial of  the  Christian  religion.  The  scheme 
of  grace  and  truth  that  became,  through  Jesus 
Christ,  the  faith  that  looks  down  into  the 
perfect  law  of  liberty,  has  light  for  its  gar- 
ment; its  very  robe  is  righteousness.''  Is 
this,  to  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows 
in  their  affliction.  'This,'  preceding  the 
(Greek)  infinitives,  gives  emphasis.  To  exer- 
cise pitiful  and  helpful  love  to  the  needy  is  to 
render  acceptable  worship  to  God.  '  To  visit' 
(the  species  for  the  genus)  is  to  seek  out,  in 
order  to  relieve,  to  care  and  provide  for,  as 
God  visits  his  people.  Luke  7  :  19.  Compare 
Matt.  25 :  36,  43 ;  Jer.  23 :  2.  '  Fatherless  and 
widows'  (by  synecdoche  of  part  for  the  whole), 
stand  for  all  the  afflicted  and  uncared  for  whom 
it  may  be  in  our  power  to  relieve.  These  two 
cla.sses  are  the  types  of  earth's  sufl^erers. 
(jf,b29:i2.)  The  church  to  which  James  be- 
longed specially  cared  for  them.  (acis9:m.) 
Paul  demanded,  in  his  Epi.stle  to  Timothy, 
that  widows  should  not  be  neglected.  (iTin.. 
5:3,9.)  And  to  keep  himself  (one'.s  self) 
unspotted  from  the  world.  'And,'  pre- 
ceding this  second  infinitive  clause,  is  not  in 
the  original.  Its  omission  makes  the  sentence 
more  impressive.  The  course  commended  is, 
to  guard  one's  self  from  the  world,  so  as  not 


32 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  II. 


CHAPTER  II. 


M 


Y  brethren,  have  not  the  faith  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  Ike  Lord  of  glory,  with  respect  of  persons. 


1      My  brethren,  i  hold  not  the  faith  of  our    Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Lurd  of  glory,  with  respect  of  per- 


1  Or,  do  ye,  in  accepting  persona,  hold  the  faith  .  .  .  glory  t 


to  be  contaminated  by  it.  Compare  Matt. 
16:  12.  The  world  is  not  only  "the  mass  of 
unrenewed  humanity,"  which  is  separated 
from  God,  and  is  under  the  control  of  Satan 
(iJoha5:  19),  and  subject  to  secuhir  interests  and 
carnal  passions,  but  whatever  circumstances 
and  objects  inflame  the  lusts  of  nature.  Be- 
lievers must  come  in  contact  with  the  world  ; 
but,  unlike  the  Pharisees,  who  sought  to 
guard  hand  or  skirt  from  what  was  cere- 
monially unclean,  they  were  commanded  to 
guard  their  minds  and  hearts  from  its  con- 
taminating influence.  What  need  there  was 
of  vigilance  (iTim.  5:  21)  and  prayer  (Johnu:  15) 
against  this  danger,  Tholuck  has  shown  in 
his  essay  on  "The  ^Natureand  Moral  Influ- 
ence of  Heathenism."  Translated  by  Prof. 
Emerson  in  "Biblical  Repository  "  1832,  Nos. 
v.,  VI.,  VII.  A  more  terrible  indictment  was 
never  written,  nor  a  more  fearful  warning.  A 
similar  injunction  to  that  in  the  last  clause  of 
our  text  was  given  by  .James  in  the  letter  sent 
by  the  .Jerusalem  Conference  to  the  Gentile 
churches.  (Acts  15 :  20-29.)  What  was  needed 
was  not  the  external  ablutions  punctiliously 
observed  by  so  many,  but  the  internal  purity 
of  which  those  rites  were  the  sign.  Clemens 
("Horn."  xi.  28)  says:  "The  essential  thing 
in  worship  is  to  be  pure." 


b.  In  the  Church  the  word  is  the  principle 
of  impartial  and  cordiiil  fellowship.     2:  1-9. 

1.  In  the  last  verse  of  the  previous  chapter, 
James  states  that  the  divine  service  of  Chris- 
tianity is  charity.  He  now  proceeds  to  con- 
sider the  gospels  as  the  principle  of  conde- 
scension and  fraternity,  a  theme  to  which 
chapter  2:  1-9  is  devoted.  The  theme  is  pre- 
sented in  the  form  of  a  warning  against  the 
odious  social  distinctions  prevalent  in  the 
churches,  distinctions  based  upon  gifts  of 
fortune  only.  My  brethren  appropriately 
and  impressively  introduces  the  admonition. 
Christ's  disciples  have  an  intimate  and  sacred 
bond  of  union  in  the  common  relationship 
they  bear  to  the  glorious  Lord.  Have  not 
the  faith  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Lord  of  glory,  with  respect  of  persons. 


For  'have  not'  read  hold  not.  The  emphatic 
form  of  the  text  would  be  better  represented 
by:  "Let  it  not  be  with  respects  of  persons 
that  ye  hold."  '  Respects  of  persons'  are  fav- 
orable estimates  of  others,  based,  not  upon 
what  is  praiseworthy  in  them,  but  upon  exter- 
nal appearances  and  relations,  as  beauty, 
power,  and  splendor  of  dress,  wealth,  etc. 
(Gal.  2:  6;  Eom.  2:  11.)  James  uscs  the  plural  to 
condemn  all  the  forms  and  instances  in  which 
this  vice  finds  expression.  Christianity  per- 
mits no  depreciation  of  the  lowly,  wretched, 
and  poor;  hence,  true  faith  cannot  be  held  in 
connection  with  unrighteous  disdain  for  those 
who  enjoy  no  external  advantages.  'The 
faith  of  our  Lord'  (objective  genitive)  signi- 
fies the  faith  in  our  Lord.  Such  faith  not  only 
confers  on  its  possessor,  but  also  recognizes 
in  other  men,  a  glory  far  transcending  all 
worldly  honor.  Hence,  he  who  despises  a 
human  being  because  he  is  poor,  or,  in  partic- 
ular contemns  a  friend  of  Jesus  because  he  is 
clothed  in  an  humble  and  soiled  garb,  cannot 
be  a  true  disciple  of  so  great  a  Lord.  He  was 
no  respecter  of  persons  (Matt.  22:  le);  but,  on  the 
contrary,  even  preferred  the  poor.  'The 
Lord  of  glory'  (genitive  of  qualit}'^):  'the 
Lord,'  which  is  not  in  the  original,  is  repeated 
in  our  version  to  suit  the  structure  of  the  sen- 
tence in  English  ;  better,  02ir  glorious  Lord. 
He  issued  from  and  he  returned  to  the  eternal 
glory  (John  17:  5),  and  he  bestows  glory  upon 
his  disciples.  (Rom.8:i8.)  Before  him  wealth 
and  rank  are  trifles,  in  comparison  with  char- 
acter, and  Christians  also  should  so  regard 
them.  The  Syriac  makes  the  genitive  qualify 
faith,  "the  faith  of  glory,"  or  "the  glorious 
faith." 

2-4.  In  these  verses  is  given  an  example 
of  the  unchristian  partiality  which  called  for 
the  admonition  in  ver.  1,  and  an  indication 
of  the  source  of  this  conduct.  The  verbs  used 
in  the  Greek  (aorists  in  this  and  the  subse- 
quent verses,  especially  in  ver.  4,  where  the 
aorist  indicative  is  used)  show  that  the  inci- 
dents are  regarded  as  having  already  taken 
place.  A  literal  rendering  into  English  would 
be  awkward.      Johnstone:    "See   what  you 


Ch.  II.] 


JAMES. 


33 


2  For  if  there  come  unto  your  assembly  a  man  with 
a  gold  ling,  in  goodly  apparel,  and  there  come  in  also 
a  poor  luau  in  vile  raiment; 

3  And  ye  have  respect  to  him  that  weareth  the  gay 
clothing,  and   say  unto  him,  fiit  thou  here  in  a  good 

Elace ;  and   say  to  the  poor,  stand  thou  there,   or   sit 
ere  under  my  footstool : 


2  sons.  For  if  there  come  into  your  i  synagogue  a 
man  with  a  gold  ring,  in   line  clothing,  and  there 

3  come  in  also  a  poor  man  in  vile  clothing;  and  ye 
have  regard  to  nim  that  wearetli  the  hue  clothing, 
and  say,  feit  thou   here  in  a  good  place  ;  and  ye  say 


1  Or,  assejnblj/. 


have  done,  and  consider  the  state  of  the  heart 
thus  revealed."  For  assigns  the  reason  for 
the  admonition  :  a  sinful  partiality  had  been 
shown  in  an  obsequiousness  to  the  rich  and 
distinguished  and  a  heartless  depreciation  of 
the  poor.  Unto  your  assembly— literally, 
into  your  synagogue,  the  place  where  a  Chris- 
tian church  assembled  for  divine  worship. 
This  would  be  the  sj'nagogue,  if  the  commu- 
nity had  become  Cliristian.  (Vitringa,  "De 
Syn.  Vet.,"  I.,  3,  2.)  In  an^'  event,  the  Jew- 
ish Christians  would  give  the  familiar  name 
to  the  place  where  they  resorted  to  worship 
(Epiph.  "Hteres,"  30;  Stanley,  "Jewish 
Ch.,"  III.,  517;  Lightfoot,  "On  Phil."  150), 
and  they  would  be  apt  to  adopt  the  same 
internal  arrangements.  That  the  sj'nagogue 
indicates  the  place,  rather  than  the  assembly, 
seems  clear  from  the  reference  to  seats  in  the 
next  verse.  Some  of  the  seats  were  accounted 
more  honorable  thtm  others,  (ver.  3.)  The 
synagogues  were  accessible  to  all;  so  were 
the  Christian  assemblies,  (icor.  u:25.)  Burder 
improperly  represents  the  assembly  as  a  court 
of  judicature. 

[Yet  is  it  not  better  to  understand  the  words, 
"your  synagogue,"  in  this  place  as  meaning 
"your  assembly,"  referring  to  the  people 
who  met  for  worship,  rather  than  to  the  place 
where  they  met?  See  Thayer,  "  Lexicon  of 
the  N.  T.,"  s.  V.  (Tvvaytoyri,  z.  a.;  also  Cremer, 
"  Theol.  Lex.,"  s.  v.,  and  compare  Luke  12: 
11;  Acts  9:  12;  13:  43;  26:  11;  and  2  Thess.  2: 
1;  Heb.  10:  25.  Punchard  says:  "This  is  the 
only  place  in  the  New  Testament  where  the 
Jewish  word  is  used  for  a  Christian  congrega- 
tion." "  N.  Test.  Commentary,"  etc.,  Ed.  by 
C.  J.  Ellicott,  on  this  verse.  But  the  com- 
pound word  eirt<7u>'ay(ov^  in  Heb.  10:  25  is  per- 
haps best  understood  in  the  same  way  :  "  Not 
forsaking  our  own  assembly." — A.  H.] 

A  man  with  a  gold  ring,  in  goodly 
apparel.  Literally,  a  man  gold-ringed,  in 
shining  apparel.  In  that  age  rings  were  a 
more  marked  evidence  of  wealth  and  rank 
than  they  are  now.  They  once  distinguished 
3  "  i 


senators  and  knights,  but  were  now  in  more 
general  use.  The  rich  men  of  the  empirci 
some  of  them,  wore  a  ring  on  every  joint,  or 
even  had  six  rings  to  a  linger.  Grorgeous 
clothing  was  also  in  great  request,  striking 
effects  in  dress,  which  among  us  have  been 
toned  down  by  Protestant  Christianity, — 
"combinations  of  gold  embroidery  with  Tyr- 
ian  purple  and  crimson,"  and  the  like.  The 
robe  thrown  in  mockery  upon  our  Lord  was 
of  this  sort.  (Luke23:u.)  A  poor  man  in 
vile  raiment.  A  dress  soiled  and  begrimed, 
such  as  the  laborer  is  wont  to  wetir — the 
opposite  of  the  elegant  and  brilliant  robes  of 
the  rich.  The  term  here  is  the  same  as  that 
in  the  Septuagint  of  Zech.  3:  3,  4,  where  the 
high  priest  is  represented  as  clothed  in 
squalid  garments,  instead  of  the  splendid 
dress  appropriate  to  his  oflBce.  The  specific 
idea  is  uncleaniiness.  Compare  1 :  21 ;  Rev. 
22:  11.  There  is  no  occasion  for  discussing 
the  question  whether  the  persons  referred 
to  here  were  members  of  the  Church  or  Chris- 
tian guests  coming  in  from  abroad,  or  casual, 
unconverted  attendants  upon  the  public  ser- 
vice. James  is  not  drtiwing  any  sharp  distinc- 
tion between  such  persons  and  the  Church  ; 
but  is  denouncing  a  partiality  based  only  upon 
externals,  and  expressing  itself  in  a  place  of 
Christian  worship.  The  men  referred  to  might 
be  either  Christians  (ver. 5)  or  persons  seeking 
instruction  in  Christian  doctrine,  or  drawn  to 
the  synagogue  merely  by  curiosity.  In  any 
case,  they  all  were  entitled  to  courtesy — 
nothing  more  and  nothing  less. 

3.  And  ye  have  respect  unto  him — liter- 
ally, look  upon  him,  implying  favorable  re- 
gard, as  in  Luke  1:  48;  9:  38;  in  this  case 
with  reverence  and  admiration.  The  splen- 
did dress  attracts  the  eye;  the  character  of 
the  man  himself  is  whollj'  overlooked.  The 
words  describing  the  rich  man's  attire  are  the 
same  as  in  ver.  2.  Sit  thou  here  in  a  good 
place — literally,  pleasantly.  The  idcti  of 
convenience  is  prominent ;  but  thjit  of  honor 
is  not  excluded.     This  is  also  iDiii^jlSttdi  in  the 


34 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  II. 


4  Are  ye  not  theu  partial  in  yourselves,  and  are  be- 
come judges  of  evil  thoughts? 

5  Heiirken,  luy  beloved  brethren.  Hath  not  God 
chosen  the  poor  of  this  world  rich  in  faith,  and  heirs 
of  the  kingdom  which  he  hath  promised  to  them  that 
love  him? 


to  the  poor  man,  Stand  thou  there,  or  sit  under  my 

4  footstool;  1  are  ye  not  divided  ^^ in  your  own  niiud, 

5  and  become  judges  with  evil  thoughts?  Hearken' 
my  beloved  brethren ;  did  not  God  choose  theui 
that  are  poor  as  to  the  world  lo  be  rich  in  faith,  and 
heirs  of  the  kingdom  which  he  promised  to  them 


1  Or,  do  ye  not  make  distinctions 2  Or,  among  yoursetv 


contrasts,  'sit'  and  'stand,'  'here'  and  'there, 
'in  a  good  place'  and  'under  my  footstool.' 
In  the  synagogues  that  part  of  the  structure 
which  pointed  toward  Jerusalem  and  where 
there  was  a  chapel,  with  four  columns,  which 
contained  the  sacred  parchments,  was  es- 
teemed the  most  honorable  place.  The  up- 
permost seats  were  those  nearest  the  chapel. 
(Matt.23:6.)  In  the  cliurches,  the  seats  of 
honor  would  be  those  occupied  by  the  elders 
of  the  church,  and  near  to  the  Eucharistic 
table.  These  would  also  be  most  convenient 
to  those  who  wished  to  enjoy  or  conduct  the 
service.  It  is  implied  that  those  persons, 
whether  deacons  or  other  ushers,  who  took 
charge  of  this  matter,  acted  by  the  authority 
and  according  to  the  will  of  the  church.  Say 
unto  him.  'Unto  him'  should  be  omitted. 
And  say  to  the  poor,  stand  thou  there  or 
sit  (here)  under  my  footstool.  The  ad- 
dress shows  utter  indifference  either  to  the 
comfort  or  the  sensibility  of  the  poor  man. 
'Either  go  yonder,  where  you  can  see  and  hear 
only  bystanding;  or  if  you  wouldcome  nearer, 
then  sit  on  the  floor.'  Others  had  not  only 
comfortable  seats,  but  also  stools  to  rest  the 
feet  upon.  [The  word  'here'  after  "sit"  did 
not  probably  belong  to  the  original  text.  It 
is  omitted  by  Lach.,  Tisch.,  and  Tregelles, 
after  A  B  C— A.  H.] 

4.  Are  ye  not  then  partial  in  your- 
selves? Omit 'then.'  This  is  not  the  point 
which  the  writer  needs  to  urge.  The  partiality 
of  feeling  is  proved  already  by  the  partiality' 
in  conduct.  The  verb  retains  the  same  signi- 
fication as  in  1 :  6,  and  constantly  elsewhere 
in  the  New  Testament.  Do  you  not  doubt 
within  yourselves?  Do  you  not  doubt  your 
own  faith  and  the  honor  it  confers,  when  you 
make  such  distinctions?  Do  you  not  tamper 
with,  and  discredit  the  faith  (ver.  i),  which 
proclaims  external  splendor  and  riches  as 
worthless  in  religion,  while  you  yourselves 
magnify  them  by  your  servility?  The  ques- 
tion in  the  original  is  in  the  past  tense,  as 
relating  to  something  which  had  already 
occurred.    And  are  become  judges  of  evil 


thoughts?  (Genitive  of  quality.)  Evil- 
thinking  judges,  who  are  swayed  by  the  per- 
verse opinions  which  distinguish  the  votaries 
of  the  world  from  the  followers  of  Christ. 
Whenever  such  distinctions  prevail  in  a 
church,  the  mere  creed  has  no  validity.  At 
heart  its  members  prefer  the  transitory  to  the 
enduring,  and  their  conduct  is  in  conflict 
with  their  consciences  and  their  religion. 
Plumptre:  "In  acting  as  they  did,  men 
made  themselves  judges  between  rich  and 
poor  and  with  'base  reasonings'  ;  or,  better, 
perhaps,  what  we  call  'base  calculations' 
gave  a  preference  to  the  former.  These  evil 
thoughts  are  the  cause  of  their  partial  and 
odious  decisions.'' 

5.  James  proceeds  to  show  how  perverse 
and  unchristian  was  the  conduct  he  reproved. 
On  the  one  hand,  to  depreciate  the  poor  was 
to  contravene  God's  loving  purposes  toward 
them.  (ver.  5.)  On  the  other  hand,  to  flatter 
the  rich,  as  such,  was  to  encourage  the  arro- 
gant spirit  which  was  now  raging  against 
Christians  (ver. e),  and  the  dread  Lord  whose 
name  they  bore.  (ver.  7.)  First  comes  the 
urgent  call  Hearken  (attend  to  this),  my 
beloved  brethren.  (i:i6, 17.)  The  argu- 
ment here  as  in  the  succeeding  verses  is  put 
in  the  spirited  form  of  a  question. 

Hath  not  God  chosen  the  poor  of  this 
world.  Better  rendered.  Did  not  God  choose 
the  poor  as  to  this  world  ?  Compare  1  Cor. 
1 :  27.  God  did  not  choose  all  the  poor,  but 
the  poor  in  preference  to  the  rich.  The 
church  at  Jerusalem  was  poor,  and  so  in 
general  were  the  early  Christians.  Our  text 
indeed  refers  to  those  who  are  poor  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  world,  but  only  those  who  are 
destitute  of  worldly  substance  are  so  esteemed. 
God's  preferences  create  a  presumption  in 
favor  of  the  poor,  which  Christians  should 
recognize  in  estimating  the  relations  and  ad- 
justing the  civilities  of  life.  It  is  not  per- 
mitted us  to  contemn  that  cla.ss  from  which 
the  heavenly  King  is  wont  to  select  his 
heralds  and  his  heirs.  (Lake 6:  20 :  Matt. 5:  3.) 
Rich  in  faith  and  heirs  of  the  kingdom. 


Ch.  II.] 


JAMES. 


35 


6  But  ye  have  despised  the  poor.    Do  not  rich  men 
oppress  you,  and  draw  you  belore  the  judgment  seals? 

7  Do  not  they  blaspheme  thai  worthy  name  by  the 
which  ye  are  called  ? 


6  that  love  him  ?    But  ye  have  dishonoured  the  poor 
man.     Do  not  the  rich  <)|)i)ress  you,  and  theuiselvc-s 

7  drag  you   before  the  judgmtul-seats?     Do  not  they 
blaspheme  the  honourable  name 'by  the  which  ye 

8  are  called?    Howbeit  if  ye  lullil  the  royal  law,  ac- 


1  Gr.  which  was  called  upon  you. 


Insert  to  be  before  'rich.'  Thu  hiith  is  not 
the  wealth  itself;  but  the  sphere  in  which 
the  wealth  is  enjo^-ed.  Believers  are  rich 
through  faith;  by  this  principle  they  are  re- 
lated to  an  invisible  world,  and  enjoy  the 
blessings  of  the  Spirit,  righteousness,  and 
peace,  and  joy.  Heirs  of  the  kingdom. 
In  addition  to  ineonij)arable  blessings  now, 
believers  have  glorious  prospects.  However 
poor  as  to  the  world,  they  are  "if  children, 
then  heirs,  heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs  with 
Christ,  to  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  unde- 
filed,  and  that  fadeth  not  away."  Kom.  8: 
17;  1  Peter  1:  4.  (Storr's  "Diss,  on  King- 
dom of  Christ,"  ?  8.)  Which  he  halh 
promised  to  them  that  love  him.  To 
faith  is  given  the  riches  of  grace;  to  love  the 
dignities  of  heaven.  The  divine  kingdom, 
as  promised  to  these  trustful  hearts,  is  that 
future  and  perfect  order  of  things  which  will 
ensue  when  Christ  solemnly  returns  from 
heaven  ;  when  the  dead  will  be  restored  to 
life;  when  all  the  sorrows  that  oppress  the 
present  life  will  be  removed,  and  all  the 
powers  hostile  to  God  will  be  subdued.     (Matt. 

6:  10:26:29:L-akel3:  .TO;2PeterI;  11.)       (Grimm.)     The 

allusion  is  to  such  assurances  of  our  Lord  as 
are  recorded  in  Luke  6:  20;  12:  31,  32, 
"  Blessed  are  ye  poor  for  yours  is  the  king- 
dom of  God."  "Fear  not  little  flock;  it  is 
your  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the 
kingdom."  The  poor  to  whom  these  promises 
are  given  are  those  who  are  endowed  with 
faith  and  love,  kindred  sentiments,  of  which 
the  second  is  the  beautiful  undergrowth  of 
the  first.  External  poverty  is  indeed  not  in 
itself  a  blessing;  it  becomes  so  "in  as  far 
only  as  the  want  of  earthly  treasures  and 
earthly  comforts  leads  us  to  seek  a  more  en- 
during treasure  and  a  more  abiding  consola- 
tion." (Forbes  "Scrip.  Parallelism,"  p.  109.) 
0.  But  ye— in  contrast  with  God,  who 
honors  the  poor,  and  chooses  them  as  the 
heirs  of  his  kingdom.  Have  despised  the 
poor — better,  hut  ye  disgraced  the  poor.  The 
verb  (in  the  aorist)  refers  to  the  case  indicated 
in  ver.  2,  8.  Those  whom  James  addressed 
had  not  only  despised  the  poor  in  their  hearts, 


but  had  expressed  their  contempt  bj' discrimi- 
nating against  them.  'The  poor'  (a  mascu- 
line adjective-noun  in  the  singular,  with  the 
article)  stands  for  the  whole  class;  Winer; 
Syriac,  "the  poor  man."  Do  not  rich  men 
oppress  you?  Plumptre :  "Lord  it  over 
you."  Another  argument  against  obsequious- 
ness to  the  rich  is  derived  from  their  notorious 
oppressions.  In  Judea  the  wealthy  were,  for 
the  most  part,  Sadducees  (Jos.  "Ant.,"  13, 
10,  6),  who,  although  they  had  little  faith  to 
contend  for,  were  yet  foremost  in  their  perse- 
cutions of  the  early  Christians.  "The  aris- 
tocracy' of  the  priesthood"  belonged  to  this 
sect.  Compare  Acts  4:  1,  6;  5:  17.  Violence 
in  enforcing  the  payment  of  debts  is  not  here 
referred  to,  but  the  persecutions  which  were 
dictated  by  the  love  of  rule  and  the  pride  of 
station.  And  draw  you  before  the  judg- 
ment seats — better,  and  do  not  they  drag  you 
(the  same  verb  occurs  Acts  21 :  30)  into  courts 
of  justice.  The  rich  used  violence  towards 
the  Christian  poor,  even  in  bringing  them 
before  the  magistrates  and  invoking  against 
them  the  authority  of  law.  It  was  from  that 
class  that  persecutions  chieflj'  came;  hence, 
those  who  belonged  to  it  were  entitled  to  no 
special  consideration  in  the  house  of  God. 
They,  omitted  in  our  version,  is  emphatic:  Is 
it  not  they  who  drag  you?  So  in  the  next 
verse. 

7.  Do  not  they  blaspheme  that  worthy 
name? — 7s  it  not  they  that  blaspheme  the 
v}orthy  name?  The  rich  do  not  only  perse- 
cute the  poor  believers ;  they  also  revile  the 
sacred  name  of  Christ  (i  Peter4:  i6),  after  whom 
the  disciples  were  called.  (Acts  ii:  26.)  First, 
doubtless,  they  were  called  Christ's  people, 
then  Christians,  just  as  we  were  first  called 
baptized  people,  then  Baptists.  ("Broad- 
mead  Records,"  pp.  15,  18.)  By  the  which 
ye  are  called?— literally,  ivhirh  v)as  named 
upon  you,  a  Hebraism  indicating  that  they 
belonged  to  him  whose  name  they  bore. 
Thus  I.srael  bore  God's  name,  in  sign  of  alle- 
giance to  him.  (Deut.  28:  10.)  The  Jewish  per- 
secutors denounced  the  claim  of  our  Lord  to 
be  the  Messiah  whom  the  prophets  had  her- 


36 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  II. 


8  If  ye  fulfil  the  royal  law  according  to  the  Scripture, 
Thou  shall  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself,  ye  do  well : 

y  But  if  ye  have  respect  to  persons,  ye  commit  sin, 
and  are  convinced  of  the  law  as  trausgressors. 


cording  to  the  scripture,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neigh- 

9  hour  as  thyself,  ye  do  well:  but  if  ye  have  resjiect 

of  persons,  ye  commit  sin,  being  convcted  by  the 

10  law  as  transgressors.    For  whosoever  shall  keep  the 


aided,  and  they  strove  to  constrain  the  disci- 
ples by  threats  and  violence  to  imitate  their 
example.  (Acts  26:  11.)  The  name  which  in- 
flamed the  hostility  of  the  Sadducean  priests 
was  a  'worthy  name,'  honored  by  all  believ- 
ers, and  deserving  honor  from  all  men.  It 
was  the  very  hope  and  glory  of  Israel  that 
was  outraged  by  the  maledictions  of  the  pow- 
erful, and  in  the  persons  of  Christ's  perse- 
cuted people.  Hence,  in  their  partiality  to 
the  rich,  the  disciples  not  only  acted  foolishly, 
but  made  themselves  guilty  of  infringement 
upon  that  reverence  which  they  owed  to  the 
name  of  Christ.  (Huther.)  Stanley  claims 
that  all  the  early  baptisms  were  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  which  implies  the  Trinity: 
the  fuller  formula  came  into  use  at  a  later 
period.  Neander  also  holds  that  the  name 
here  referred  to  was  not  Christ,  but  Jesus. 
("Planting  and  Training  of  the  Church," 
p.  334.) 

8.  If  ye  fulfil  the  royal  law,  according 
to  the  Scripture — yet  if  ye  fulfil,  or  if  indeed 
ye  fulfil.  For  James  has  in  view  a  possible 
objection,  that  in  depreciating  the  wealthy  he 
was  violating  the  law  of  love,  which  embraces 
them  as  well  as  the  poor.  In  reply  James 
commends  the  law,  and  magnifies  it  as  a 
'royal  law,'  an  eminent  command,  having  a 
royal  supremacy  over  all  others.  (Rom.  i3:8-io; 
Gai.5:u.)  The  Syriac  translator  regarded  the 
law  as  royal,  because  coming  from  the  Hea- 
venly King.  (iJohn4:2i.)  It  is  a  sacrcd  dutj', 
enjoined  under  the  Old  Dispensation  (Lev.  itf:i8) 
and  re-afRrmed  by  our  Lord  (Matt.  22: 39),  as  the 
principle  of  all  right  conduct  in  human  so- 
ciety. Compare  Kom.  13:  9,  10;  and,  as  the 
spirit  of  the  divine  kingdom,  Mark  12:  34. 
'Law'  here  signifies  a  single  command.  'Ac- 
cording to  the  Scripture'  is  merely  "a  form 
of  citation."  (Meyer.)  Under  the  gospel  this 
law  is  termed  'new,'  from  its  prominence,  its 
higher  motive,  its  divine  example,  and  its 
broader  influence.  (Farrar's  "  Life  of  Christ," 
2:  295.)  Ye  do  well.  The  words  have  a 
certain  tone  of  ironical  concession.  The  .Tews 
accepted  the  law  as  a  summary  of  the  whole 
body  of  moral  legislation  in  reference  to  the 
relations  of  man  with  man.     They  did  not 


dispute  that  it  was  of  the  greatest  consequence 
and  utility;  that  it  was  excellent  and  worthy 
of  God,  and  that  it  had  every  claim  to  con- 
sideration from  all  men.  Whether,  however, 
they  fulfilled  it  or  not  was  questionable;  and 
whether  they  had  this  or  sonietliing  else  in 
view,  in  their  flattering  attentions  to  tiie  rich, 
was  also  worthy  of  consideration.  Tlie  lan- 
guage suggests  something  stronger  than  doubt 
in  the  writer's  mind.  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself.  This  command  is  not 
only  repeated  by  Christianity,  but  transfig- 
ured in  it.  Here  love  to  others  becomes  the 
love  of  service  and  the  spirit  of  sacrifice.  "A 
new  commandment  I  give  unto  you  that  ye 
love  one  another,  as  I  have  loced  you.''''  (Joim 
13:34,35.)  Without  love  wc  are  nothing.  (1  Cor. 
13:1-3.)  .Tames  indeed  contents  himself  with 
repeating  the  law  in  the  form  in  which  it  had 
been  accepted  by  the  .Tewish  people;  but  the 
influence  of  this  command,  as  repeated  in  the 
gospel  and  commended  by  the  examjjle  of  its 
Author,  has  been  unprecedented ;  it  has 
changed  the  whole  aspect  of  domestic  and 
social  life.  The  compassionate  love  which 
makes  so  many  sacrifices  and  establishes  so 
many  institutions  for  the  relief  of  the  wants 
and  woes  of  men  was  a  virtue  unknown  to 
antiquity.  See  the  fine  sketch  of  Christian 
benevolence  given  bj'  Uhlhorn.  ("Conflict 
of  Christianity."  p.  191-205.) 

9.  An  answer  to  the  pretext  of  the  objector 
in  ver.  8.  But  if  ye  have  respect  to  per- 
sons— literally,  if  ye  respect  persons  —  ye 
commit  sin.  Compare  Matt.  7  :  23;  Acts  10  : 
35.  The  partiality  you  display,  instead  of 
honoring  the  law,  breaks  it.  The  very  code 
to  which  you  appeal  designates  you  as  the 
guilty  transgressors  of  its  requirements.  The 
language  is  emphatic — it  is  sin  that  ye  comtnit. 
And  are  convinced  (being  convicted)  of  the 
law  as  transgressors.  Some  think  that  the 
law  hero  referred  to  is  that  in  Lev.  19:  15, 
or  Deut.  16:  19,  which  indeed  has  respect  to 
judgments,  but  may  be  extended  to  include 
marks  of  honor  in  the  public  assembly.  Others 
adduce  the  ver^'  law  of  love  (ver.s)  as  violated 
bj'  respects  of  persons;  all  are  not  loved  when 
some  are  depreciated.     The  latter  reference  is 


Ch.  II.] 


JAMES. 


37 


10  For  whosoever  shall  keep  the  whole  law,  and  yet 
offead  in  oue  puint,  he  is  guilty  of  all. 

11  For  he  that  said,  Do  not  commit  adultery,  said 
also.  Do  not  kill.  Now  if  thou  commit  no  aduliery,  yet 
if  thou  kill,  thou  art  become  a  transgressor  of  the  law. 


whole  law,  and  yet  stumble  in  one  point,  he  is  be- 
ll Come  guilty  of  all.     For  he  who  said.  Do  not  com- 
n)it  adultery,  said  also,  Do  not  kill.    Now   if  thou 
dost  not  commit  adultery,  but  killest,  thou  art  be- 
12  come  a  transgressor  of  the  law.    So  speak  ye,  and 


to  be  preferred.  Those  who  respected  persons 
violated  the  hiw  as  a  whole,  the  law  in  its 
spirit.  Yet  the  violation  of  a  single  precept 
would  involve  the  transgressor  in  the  guilt 
of  rebellion  against  the  heavenly  Lawgiver. 

(Ver.  10.) 

c.  The  gospel  sanctions  all  the  prescrip- 
tions of  the  Second  Table  of  the  Decalogue; 
those  relating  to  our  relative  duties.  Ver. 
10,  11. 

10.  For  occurs  both  in  ver.  10,  11,  which 
present  the  proof  that  partial  discrimi- 
nations are  criminal.  James  lays  down  the 
principle  that  he  who  violates  one  of  the 
commandments  breaks  all.  A  law  proceed- 
ing from  God,  and  claiming  the  heart  of  the 
creature,  cannot  be  honored,  unless  it  be 
wholly  and  sacredly  observed.  The  same 
ethical  paradox  is  found  in  the  Rabbinical 
writings.  Rabbi  Johanan  says:  "He  who 
does  all  things  save  one  is  guilty  of  all  the 
rest."  Whosoever  shall  keep  {hath  kept) 
the  whole  law.  The  moral  law  is  primarily 
referred  to;  yet  the  principle  would  also  em- 
brace the  Christian  Uiw,  which  the  converted 
Jews  acknowledge.  And  yet  offend  {hath 
offended)  in  one  point.  The  sense  is  very 
well  expressed  by  the  noun,  which  is  supplied 
in  our  version.  Some,  however,  would  prefer 
"commandment"  instead  of  "point."  He 
is  guilty  of  all  — better,  has  become  guilty  ; 
he  has  sinned  against  all,  and  has  become 
liable  to  a  corresponding  punishment.  As 
in  cases  involving  capital  punishment  one 
offence  is  fatal,  so  under  the  government  of 
God  the  knowing  and  persistent  violation  of 
one  precept  suffices  to  condemn,  making  the 
observance  of  all  other  duties  nugatory.  When 
a  servant  of  the  Lord  does  only  what  he 
chooses,  he  follows,  not  the  will  of  the  Master, 
but  his  own.  He  has  no  reverence  for  the 
law,  and  no  piety  toward  the  Lawgiver; 
hence  even  his  formal  acts  of  obedience, 
arising  from  lower  motives,  are  violations  of 
the  moral  code.  "  It  is  probable  enough," 
says  Plumptre,  "that  the  Pharisees,  who  mis- 
represented the  teaching  of  James  in  the 
Church  of  Antioch,  laid  stress  on  these  words 
as  including  circumcision  and  the  ceremonial 


law,  as  well  as  the  precepts  which  were  moral 
and  eternal."  (Actus :  1,5, 24.) 

Note.— The  principle  of  our  text  needed  to 
be  asserted  among  the  Jews,  who  were  po.s- 
sessed  by  "an  insatiable  spirit  of  casuistry," 
and  who  were  fond  of  debating  the  relative 
value  of  the  precepts  of  the  law.  Compare 
Matt.  22:  34-40.  Some  regarded  the  law  as  to 
fringes  and  phylacteries  as  of  first  importance  ; 
others  the  command  requiring  that  the  name 
of  Gi>d  should  be  honored ;  others  the  require- 
ment of  ablution.  The  disciples  of  Hillel 
regarded  certain  positive  precepts  as  of  no 
importance.  A  variety  of  curious  illustra- 
tions has  been  collected  by  Farrar.  ("  Life  of 
Christ,"  pp.  238-241.)  On  the  contrary,  the 
object  of  the  law  is  to  test  the  spirit  of  obedi- 
ence, and  that  spirit  questions  nothing  that  is 
demanded. 

11.  The  principle  of  the  foregoing  verses  is 
established  by  the  specification  of  laws  which, 
however  diverse  in  character,  rested  on  the 
authority  of  the  one  supreme  Lawgiver.  He 
that  said,  Do  not  commit  adultery,  said 
also.  Do  not  kill.  These  two  command- 
ments (Exoj.  M:  13,14)  are  specified  because  they 
are  the  first  belonging  to  the  second  table  of  the 
moral  law.  The  fifth  ('Ommandment  belongs  to 
the  first  table,  dutj' to  parents  being  regarded  as 
religious  service  by  the  Jews  (Jos.  "Ant.," 
B.  6:  6;  comp.  1  Tim.  5:  4),  as  well  as  by  the 
Greeks  and  Romans.  (Taylor  Lewis :  "Pla- 
tonic Theology,"  87-94.)  In  the  New  Testa- 
ment, the  prohibition  of  adultery  alwaj's  pre- 
cedes that  of  murder  [Except  probublj'-  in 
Mark  10:  19.  See  Revised  Version.— A.  H.], 
showing  that  this  was  then  the  traditional 
order.  Now,  if  thou  commit  no  adultery, 
yet  if  thou  kill,  thou  art  become  a  trans- 
gressor of  the  law.  The  conclusion  refers 
back  to  ver.  9.  In  religion  the  law  is  the 
will  of  the  Lawgiver;  hence  he  who  violates 
the  law  in  one  particular  violates  it  wholly. 
Huther:  "James,  indeed,  could  have  argued 
also  from  the  inner  connection  of  all  the 
commandments,  or  from  the  fact  that  the 
transgression  of  one  commandment  betrayed 
a  defect  of  character  which  made  the  ful- 
filling of   the    rest    of    the    law  impossible; 


38 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  II. 


12  So  speak  ye,  and  so  do,  as  they  that  shall  be 
judged  by  the  law  ol'  liberty. 

ly  For  he  shall  have  judgment  without  mercy,  that 
hath  shewed  no  mercy ;  aud  mercy  rejoiceth  against 
judgment. 


so  do,  as  men  that  are  to  be  judged  by  a  law  of 
13  liberty.     For  judgment  is  without  mercy   to  him 
that  hath  shewed  no  mercy:  mercy  glorieth  against 
judgment. 


but  since  he  did  not,  such  observations  must 
not  be  arbitrarily  thrust  into  his  words." 

d.  The  duties  we  owe  to  men  are  sanctioned 
by  the  final  judgment.     Ver.  12,  13. 

12.  So  speak  ye,  and  so  do,  as  they  that 
shall  be  judged  by  the  law  of  liberty. 
Tlie  gospel  claims  for  the  moral  law  the 
solemn  sanctions  of  the  judgment,  (ver.  12,  i3.) 
And  the  speech,  as  well  as  the  conduct,  must 
be  subjected  to  this  ordeal.  (Matt.  12:  37.)  The 
law  is,  as  it  were,  the  instrument  through 
which  the  judgment  passes.  The  imperatives 
here  are  in  the  present  tense,  indicating  an 
action  already  begun,  and  to  be  continued ; 
or,  one  that  is  permanent  and  frequently 
occurring.  Hence  this  form  is  commonly 
employed  in  the  measured  and  dispassion- 
ate language  of  laws  and  moral  precepts. 
(Winer.)  The  law  of  liberty.  A  favorite 
phrase  of  James,  com])are  1:  25,  indicating 
the  preceptive  will  of  God  as  the  will  of  man, 
subdued  by  grace,  cheerfully  surrenders  to  it. 
Our  Lord  uses  similar  language.  (JohQ8:32.) 
So  also  does  Paul  (Rom.  8:2, 15)  though  else- 
where he  speaks  of  the  law,  when  enforced 
upon  the  reluctant  will,  as  gendering  to  bond- 
age. (Gal.  4:  24.)  To  the  renewed  will  the  law 
is  liberty,  while  at  the  same  time  it  is  the 
rule  of  life  and  the  standard  of  judgment. 
And  that  grace  in  the  heart  which  produces 
free-will  obedience  to  God  (iPeter2:i6)  will 
awaken  a  pitying  love  toward  the  poor  whom 
so  many  were  wont  to  despise,     (vere ) 

13.  This  passage  shows  the  importance  of 
the  tender  humanity  recommended  (1=27), 
and  discloses  the  vital  spirit  of  the  law  of 
liberty.  For  he  shall  have  judgment,  etc. 
— better,  The  judginent  will  be  without  mercy 
to  him  that  shewed  no  mercy.  The  law  of 
retribution  here  proclaimed  is  derived  from 
our  Lord's  sermon  (Matt. 7 :  1, 2),  "Judge  not, 
that  ye  be  not  judged.  For  with  what  judg- 
ment ye  judge,  ye  shall  be  judged  :  and  with 
what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured 
unto  you  again."  Compare  also  Matt.  5:  2-5, 
26 ;  6 :  12-15 ;  18 :  21-35.  Mercy  is  a  species  of 
love;  it  is  benignity  toward  the  unfortunate, 
with  the  desire  and  effort  to  help  them.  (Matt. 
9:  13.)     With  this  gracious  principle  the  law  is 


charged  by  the  gospel ;  it  flows  from  God  to 
man,  and  from  man  to  his  fellows;  and  it 
will  serve  as  a  criterion  of  character  in  the 
day  of  final  account.  And  mercy  rejoiceth 
against  judg^irient.  Omit  'and.'  Instead 
of  'rejoiceth'  read  'glorieth.'  The  believer, 
although  a  sinner,  has  in  his  own  loving  heart 
the  assurance  that  the  condemning  sentence 
of  the  law  will  not  be  inflicted  upon  him  ;  but 
rather  expects  the  rewards  of  grace,  being 
confident  tliat  God  will  not  condemn  the 
imitators  of  his  goodness. 

Earthly  power  doth  then  .«how  likest  God's, 

When  mercy  seasons  justice. 

How  many  are  the  illustrations  of  this  fine 
text!  Our  Lord's  definition  and  commenda- 
tion of  mercy  in  the  parable  of  the  Good 
Samaritan  ;  the  necessity  of  forgiveness  to 
acceptable  prayer;  the  parable  of  the  Unjust 
Debtor;  the  picture  of  the  last  judgment,  with 
the  merciful  and  the  unmerciful  divided  from 
each  other  inexorably  and  forever!  Mercy  is 
the  sign  of  the  grace  that  makes  the  sinner 
safe,  and  thus  it  becomes  the  joyful  conscious- 
ness of  safety.  Mercy  and  judgment  are  the 
great  moral  influences  by  which  religion 
regulates  the  lives  of  men. 

5.  Warning  against  the  error  that  specula- 
tive faith,  which  does  not  heed  tlte  preceptive 
part  of  the  word,  suffices  for  salvation.  Ver. 
14-26. 

14.  Saving  faith  is  practical.  This  para- 
graph, extending  to  ver.  26,  closes  the  first 
division  of  our  Epistle.  It  is  devoted  to  the 
refutation  of  the  objection  that  faith  by  itself 
suflBces  for  salvation.  In  the  present  verse 
James  insists  that  saving  faith  must  be  practi- 
cal. The  writer  has  already  indicated  faith 
as  the  condition  of  salvation,  in  declaring 
that  God  begets  men  by  the  word  of  his  truth 
(i:~i8),  and  in  enjoining  them  to  receive  with 
meekness  the  engrafted  word,  which  is  able 
to  save  the  soul.  But  now  he  attacks  the 
prevalent  opinion  that  faith  without  works 
can  save.  The  Jews  regarded  faith,  when 
existing  alone,  as  saving,  and  in  this  sense  in- 
terpreted the  famous  passage  of  Habakkuk. 
(2:4.)  They  used,  as  a  morning  and  evening 
passport  to  the  throne  of   grace,    the   text : 


Ch.  II.] 


JAMES. 


39 


14  What  doth,  it  profit,  my  brethren,  though  a  man  I  14      What  doth  it  profit,  my  brethren,  if  a  man  say  he 


say  he  hath  faith,  and  have  not  works?  can  iaith  save 
him? 

15  If  a  brother  or  sister  be  naked,  and  destitute  of 
daily  food, 

16  And  one  of  you  say  unto  them.  Depart  in  peace, 
be  t/e  warmed  and  tilled  ;  notwithstanding  ye  give  them 


hath  Iaith,  but  liave  not  works?  can  that  Iaith  save 

15  him?    If  a  brother  or  sister  be  naked,  and  in  lack 

16  of  daily  food,  and  one  of  you  say  unto  ibem.  Go  in 
peace,  be  ye  warmed  and  filled;  and  yet  ye  give 


"Hear  O  Israel;  the  Lord  our  God  is  one 
Lord"  (Deut.6:4);  and with  this  proclamation 
of  the  Divine  Unity,  the  dying  gave  their 
souls  to  God.  To  those  who  clung  to  the  as- 
surance that  this  sufficed  for  salvation,  James 
addressed  the  argument  of  this  passage.  Com- 
pare 2:  19;  Mutt.  7:  21  seq.  What  doth  it 
profit  my  brethren — literally,  What  is  the 
profit  ?  The  assertion  is  stronger,  as  put  into 
an  interrogative  form.  Though  a  man  (any 
one)  -say  he  hath  faith,  and  have  not  works. 
No  special  emphasis  should  be  laid  upon  the 
verb  'say,'  as  if  the  statement  were  a  mere 
pretence.  Yet  neither  should  the  sharpness 
of  its  meaning  be  disregarded.  The  persons 
in  question,  having  no  works  to  approve  their 
faith,  could  profess  it  only  by  words.  'Faith' 
here  does  not  occur  in  the  Pauline  sense  of 
persuasion.  The  only  faith  which  can  exist 
in  the  case  supposed  is  not  a  believing  with 
the  heart  unto  righteousness;  it  is  not  the  re- 
ception of  truth  as  the  principle  of  a  new  life ; 
it  is  a  mere  intellectual  conviction,  a  specu- 
lative tenet,  external  to  the  affections  and  the 
conscience,  and  remote  from  the  activities  of 
life ;  a  dead  notion  sepulchred  in  the  brain. 
The  works  referred  to  are  such  as  are  the 
evidences  of  a  living  faith  and  the  fulfillment 
of  the  law  of  liberty.  Can  faith  save  him  ? 
In  the  original  the  article  precedes  faith  (the 
faith).  Some  suppose  that  the  article  here  is 
equivalent  to  the  demonstrative  pronoun  :  can 
that  faith  (such  a  faith  as  that)  save  him. 
Others  emphasize  the  pronoun  him  (such  a 
a  man  as  he  is).  We  think  that  a  stress  should 
be  laid  upon  both  the  article  and  the  pronoun  ; 
but  especially  upon  the  article.  The  faith 
here  spoken  of  is  certainly  not  the  principle 
which  receives  with  meekness  the  engrafted 
word.  The  salvation  is  that  which  the  man 
expects  in  the  future,  (i  Thess.  5:  8.)  James 
has  in  view  not  so  much  any  present  privileges 
and  assurances,  but  rather  a  full  and  final 
deliverance  from  evil,  the  fullness  of  the 
blessing  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  The  sever- 
ance of  fiiith  and  works,  which  was  main- 
tained commonly  among  the  Jewish  people, 


was  exhibited  in  the  spirited  rebuke  of  Paul. 
(Rom.  2:  iT-M.)  Yet  no  inspired  writer  has  more 
impressively  insisted  upon  the  necessary  con- 
nection between  faith  and  salvation.  Com- 
pare John  3 :  16. 

6.  Worthlessnessof  an  inoperative  faith — to 
the  needy  (ver.  15,  16)  ;  to  the  professor  of 
religion.     Ver.  17. 

15.  James  now  proceeds  to  adduce  a  case 
involving  that  most  sacred  obligation  of 
Christians  —  the  exercise  of  pitying  love. 
(1:27;  2:  13.)  The  cuse  is  that  of  a  brother 
or  sister  in  sore  need.  The  case  would  indeed 
apply  to  all  the  descendants  of  the  patriarchs, 
who  formed  one  family  ;  but  it  here  directly 
applies  to  members  of  the  Christian  com- 
munity, whose  relationship  was  the  more 
intimate,  because  it  was  spiritual  and  eternal. 

(Acts  10:  23;  11:  1;  1  Cor.  5:  11.)        This    cirCUmstanC9 

made  the  example  more  impressive.  Be 
naked,  and  destitute  of  daily  food.     The 

want  of  clothing,  and  of  the  nutriment  to 
sustain  life  from  day  to  day,  indicates  absolute 
destitution.  Our  Lord  had  already  required, 
by  the  most  solemn  sanction,  that  such  dis- 
tresses should  be  relieved.  (Matt.  25:  36-43.)  That 
the  Christians  of  Judea  were  many  of  them 
reduced  to  such  extremities  may  be  inferred 
from  the  collections  made  in  their  behalf  by 
the  Gentile  churches  (1  Cor.  16;  1;  Kom. 
15:  26),  and  from  the  earnest  expostulation  of 
1  John  3:  17.  It  has  been  suggested  that, 
probably  at  this  time,  the  famine  predicted 
by  Agabus  prevailed  (Aotsu:  28-30),  and  that  the 
Jewish  converts,  wrapped  up  in  the  pride  of 
race  and  of  orthodoxj',  had  resigned  the  care 
of  their  poor  to  the  foreign  Christians. 

16.  Depart  in  peace.  An  expression  of 
kindly  feeling,  which  would  be  an  insult,  if 
not  accompanied  by  an  act  of  charity  and 
relief.  It  was  then  in  familiar  use.  (Luke 7:  50; 
8:  48;  Acts  16 :  36.)  Be  ye  Warmed  and  filled — 
get  yourselves  clad  (Job3i;2o),  and  may  you 
have  food  in  abundance;  or,  more  exactly, 
warm  yourselves,  feed  yourselves.  Sympathy 
is  sweet,  if  one  has  nothing  more  to  give  to 
those  who  are  starving  and  shivering;  but 


40 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  II. 


not  those  things  which  are  needful  to  the  body ;  what 
dolk  il  profit .' 

17  Even  so  faith,  if  it  hath  not  works,  is  dead,  being 
alone. 

18  Yea,  a  man  may  say,  Thou  hast  faith,  and  I  have 
works:  shew  me  thy  faith  without  thy  works,  and  I 
will  shew  lliee  my  faith  by  my  works. 

19  Thou  believest  that  there  is  one  God ;  thou  doest 
well :  the  devils  also  believe,  and  tremble. 


them  not  the  things  needful  to  the  body  ;  what  doth 

17  it  profit?    Eveu  so  fuith,  if  it  have   not  works,  is 

18  dtad  in  itself,  i  Yea,  a  man  will  say,  thou  hast  faith, 
and  I  have  works:  shew  me  thy  faith  apart  from  thy 
works,  and  1  by  my  works  will  shew  thee  my  faith. 

19  Thou  believest  that -God  is  one;  thou  doest  well: 

20  the  demons  also  believe,  and  shudder.    But  wilt 


1  Or,  But  some  one  will  say 2  Some  ancient  authorities  read  there  is  one  God. 


sympathy  alone,  from  one  who  can  give 
relief,  is  a  mockery,  as  the  style  of  the  appeal 
is  made  to  indicate.  Generous  words  are  a 
poor  substitute  for  food  and  clothing;  yet 
how  widely  this  kind  of  charity  still  prevails  1 
Notwithstanding  ye  give  them  not  those 
things  which  are  needful  for  the  body— 
those  things  necessary  to  its  maintenance. 
What  doth  it  profit?  Either  to  those  who 
are  in  want,  or  those  who  send  them  empty 
away,  without  a  stick  from  the  wood-pile,  or  a 
garment  from  the  wardrobe,  or  a  crust  from 
the  cupboard,  to  "warm  and  fill." 

17.  Even  so  taith,  if  it  hath  not  works, 
is  dead,  being  alone — better,  So  also  faith, 
if  it  have  not  luorks,  is  dead  in  itself.  Here 
the  illustration  is  applied— a  barren  assent  to 
a  dogma  is  as  worthless  as  lip  charity.  This 
is  also  Paul's  teaching  in  Rom.  2:  13:  "Not 
the  hearers  of  the  law  are  just  before  God; 
but  the  doers  of  the  law  shall  be  justified." 
A  Christian  name  without  works  of  piety 
has  as  little  substance  and  vitality  in  it  as  a 
Christian  brotherhood  without  acts  of  charity. 
The  works  spoken  of  are  not  added  to  faith, 
but  spring  out  of  it,  as  shoots  from  a  living 
germ.  A  faith  without  works  is  dead  in  itself; 
its  very  root  is  dead.  It  bears  the  same  rela- 
tion to  the  saving  faith  required  by  the  gospel 
as  a  corpse  does  to  a  man.  And  as  a  lifeless 
body  can  do  nothing,  a  faith  without  works 
can  profit  nothing— its  unproductiveness  suf- 
fices to  show  that  it  has  no  life  or  power. 

c.  Genuine  faith  must  be  connected  with 
works,  else  there  is  no  evidence  of  its  existence 
(ver.  18),  nor  any  strength  and  blessedness  in 
the  experience  of  professors  (ver.  19).  The 
principle  confirmed  by  the  example  of  Abra- 
ham (ver.  20-24) ;  and  Rahab.    Ver.  25,  26. 

18.  Yea  a  man  may  say— rather,  but 
some  one  will  say.  This  objection  may  with 
certainty  be  anticipated  (com]>are  1  Cor.  15: 
35),  from  some  one  who  judges  between  the 
two  parties,  .James  and  his  opponent,  and  who 
proposes  to  settle  the  disagreement  by  a  com- 


promise. The  person  here  intervening  neither 
represents  the  Gentile  convert  (Plumptre), 
nor  the  Jewish  Christian  whom  James  op- 
poses (Huther),  but  some  indifferent  person, 
who  regards  both  James  and  his  opponents 
as  one-sided,  and  who  decides  accordingly. 
A  slight  addition  will  make  the  meaning  of 
the  passage  apparent:  "but  some  one  v/ill 
say:  that  thou  (James'  opponent)  hast  faith 
and  I  (James)  have  works."  The  difference 
between  you  two  is,  that  the  one  values  the 
truth  of  Christianity,  and  the  other  its  ethical 
system. 

Shew  me  thy  faith  without  thy  w^orks, 
and  I  will  shew  thee  my  faith  by  my 
works.  The  reply  of  James  is,  that  without 
works  faith  cannot  be  proved  to  exist  at  till ; 
for  without  works,  it  has  no  expression.  You 
cannot  show  your  ftiith,  except  by  works  of 
piety  and  philanthropy.  On  the  contrary, 
the  works  I  do,  prove  that  I  have  faith,  for 
without  faith  I  could  not  do  them.  The 
difference  between  us  is  not  merely  contro- 
versial, but  vital.  This  is  expressed  in  a 
very  spirited  manner  by  James'  challenge. 
"Vainly  do  we  glory  in  the  gospel,  unless 
we  are  also  in  love  with  virtue."  [Possibly 
the  sense  of  this  expression  may  be  brought 
to  light  by  a  more  literal  translation  of  the 
best-supported  text:  "Show  me  thy  faith 
without  the  works" — which  real  faith  pro- 
duces—  "and  I  will  show  thee  from  my  works 
the  faith"  which  produces  them. — A.  H.] 

19.  Thou  believest  that  there  is  one 
God — better,  that  God  is  one.  This  article  of 
faith,  common  to  Jews  and  Christians,  and 
distinguishing  revealed  religion  from  the  i)op- 
ular  heathenism,  is  selected  as  representing 
an  orthodox  creed.  Thou  doest  well— thou 
hast  accepted  the  priiuary  truth  of  religion. 
The  devils  (demons)  also  believe  (it)  and 
tremble  (shudder).  The  demons,  who  are 
the  angels  and  ministers  of  the  devil  (Matt.  9: 34; 
12:24),  like  their  master,  "abode  not  in  the 
truth"    (John  8 :  44;  I  Tim.  4:  1),   aiid  Were  the  pa- 


Cii.  II.] 


JAMES. 


41 


20  But  wilt  thou  know,  0  vain  man,  that  faith  with- 
out works  is  dead  ? 

21  Was  not  Abraham  our  father  justified  by  works, 
when  he  had  ottered  Isaac  his  sou  upon  the  altar? 


thou  know,  O  vain  man,  that  faith  apart  from  works 

21  is  barren?     Was  not  Abraham  our  lather  justified 

by  works,  in  that  he  ottered  up  Isaac  his  sou   upoa 


trons  of  idolatry,  (i  cor.  lO:  20.)  Yet  they  have 
never  lost  their  belief  that  there  is  one  God, 
although  tins  transcendent  truth  produces  no 
change  in  their  character,  and  sheds  no  gleam 
of  hope  upon  the  darkness  of  their  future  des- 
tiny. They  hate  the  infinitely  perfect  One, 
and  await  with  terror  the  coming  of  that  day 
when  he  will  cast  them  into  the  lake  of  fire. 

(Matt.  8:  29.) 

The  sarcasm  is  terrible.  A  faith  which  ' 
merely  a  matter  of  knowledge  does  not  save, 
it  does  not  even  recognize  God  to  be  what  he 
is,  our  highest  good;  it  does  not  change  the 
character  ;  it  does  not  give  assurance  of  future 
salvation  and  blessedness,  and  through  that 
assurance  find  present  peace ;  it  is  the  faith  of 
demons,  who,  at  the  thought,  shudder  like 
Eliphaz  (Job*:  15.),  when  the  condemning  spirit 
passed  before  him.  Monotheism  chastises 
where  it  does  not  chasten  the  transgressor. 
",In  his  crimes,  it  is  not  the  heavy  irons  of 
his  prison,  but  the  deep  eye  of  his  Judge,  from 
which  he  shrinks;  and  in  his  repentance  he 
weeps,  not  upon  the  lap  of  Nature,  but  at  the 
feet  of  God."  ("  Westminster  Review,"  1852, 
p.  18.3.) 

20.  James  now  proceeds  to  prove  the  neces- 
sity of  uniting  works  with  faith,  from  the  ex- 
ample of  Abraham,  the  father  of  believers, 
(ver.  20-24.)  Wiltthou  kiiow?  by  proofs  from 
scriptural  examples,  whose  authority  you 
acknowledge.  The  question  expresses  the 
assurance  of  triumph.  O  vain  man.  'O' 
occurs  in  the  New  Testament  only  in  ad- 
dresses of  adjuration  and  censure.  (Matt.  17 :  i7 ; 
Luke24:  25;  Eoni.  9:  20.)  'Vain,'  Corresponding  to 
"liaca"  in  Matt.  5:  22,  is  the  same  as  empty, 
indicating,  not  intellectual,  but  moral  defect. 
The  epithet,  forbidden  to  revenge,  is  permitted 
in  fraternal  and  official  correction.  (Matt. 23:  17, 

19;  Luke  24:  25;  Gal.  .S:  1,3.)       The    pOSSCSSOr    of    the 

faith  here  referred  to  had  no  real  worth,  no 
spiritual  riches.  That  faith  without  works 
is  dead.  Compare  2  Peter  1 :  8.  The  last 
word  varies  in  the  manuscripts.  In  some  the 
word  is  ^^dead,"  in  others  it  is  ^''idle";  in 
either  case  the  meaning  would  be  substan- 
tially the  same:  that  which  has  no  life,  profits 
no  one,  and  eflTects  nothing.     It  is  like  capital 


which  lies  idle,  and  brings  no  interest — dead 
capital.  Only  from  love,  and  in  work,  does 
faith  truly  live.  [Here  too  the  article  before 
'works,'  in  the  Greek  text,  may  well  be 
noticed:  "that  faith  without  the  works"  — 
that  is,  its  works,  or  the  works  which  it  natu- 
rally produces,  'is  idle.' — A.  H.] 

31.  Was  not  Abraham  our  father?  The 
example  of  Abraham  was  of  high  authority 
among  the  Jews,  because  he  was  their  most 
illustrious  progenitor,  and  enjoyed  the  special 
favor  of  God.  Accordingly,  James  appeals 
to  his  case,  to  show  that  works  must  accom- 
pany faith  as  its  fruits,  and  that  without 
works  a  profession  of  faith  is  valueless.  Jus- 
tified by  works.  This  statement  seems  to 
be  contradictory  to  what  James  says  in  ver. 
23,  where  Abraham's  'faith'  is  declared  to 
have  been  imputed  to  him  for  righteousness, 
and  al.<o  to  Paul's  argument  upon  the  same 
text  and  example.  (Rom.3:  28,  >eq.)  The  prom- 
inence which  one  of  these  writers  assigns  to 
works  and  the  other  to  faith,  although  they 
both  were  dealing  with  the  same  case,  is  to  be 
explained  by  the  different  ends  they  had  in 
view.  Both  of  them  taught  that  saving  faith 
is  operative  (Gai. 5:  6;  James 2:  is.);  but  Paul, 
arguing  against  formalists,  who  taught  that 
meritorious  works  are  the  condition  of  salva- 
tion, insisted  upon  the  necessity  of  faith; 
while  James,  arguing  against  Antinomians, 
who  claimed  that  the  profession  of  an  ortho- 
dox faith  suffices,  insisted  upon  the  necessity 
of  a  life  of  practical  godliness.  How  deeply 
rooted  was  this  Antinomianism  among  the 
Jews  appears  from  the  rabbinical  discussion 
of  the  subject.  Compare  Lightfoot,  "Comm. 
on  Galatians,"  Note  on  "  Faith  of  Abraham." 
The  genius  of  interpreters  and  theologians 
has  diligently  addressed  itself  to  the  task  of 
harmonizing  these  two  writers;  yet  the  diffi- 
culty is  not  less  great  in  reconciling  the  state- 
ments, which  James  himself  makes  in  the 
present  paragraph,  for  he  too  declares  that 
Abraham's  fiiith  was  accounted  to  him  for 
righteousness,  while  yet  he  maintains  that  the 
patriarch  was  ju.stified  by  works,  and  that  the 
latter  justification  was  in  some  way  the  ful- 
fillment of  the  former  imputation  of  right- 


42 

JAJV 

IE 

s. 

[Ch. 

11. 

22  Seest  thou  how 
by  works  was  faith 

23  And  the  Script 

faith  wrought  with  his  works,  and 
made  perfect  ? 
ure  was  fultilled  which  saith,  Abri- 

22  the  altar  ?    i  Thou  seest  that  faith  wrought  with  his 

23  works,  and  by  works  was  faith  made  perfect ;   and 
the  scripture  was  fultilled  which  saith,  And  Abra- 

1  Or, 

Seest  thou  . 

.  perfect. 

eousness  which  had  occurred  many  years  be- 
fore. In  the  first  case,  Abraham  believed 
God,  and  was  accepted  as  righteous ;  in  the 
second,  he  obeyed  God  and  was  approved  as 
righteous.  It  is  this  hist  condition,  in  which 
operative  faith  receives  the  divine  approval, 
to  which  James  applies  the  term  justification. 
The  ancient  believer  was  proved  to  be  right- 
eous by  his  conduct,  and  the  divine  declara- 
tion that  he  was  righteous  was  thus  established 
as  true.  This  meaning  of  the  verb,  to  justify, 
to  declare  or  prove  to  be  what  one  should  be, 
or  professes  to  be,  appears  in  various  passages 
of  Scripture,  as  in  Matt.  11:  19,  "Wisdom  is 
justified  of  her  children" — is  proved  by  their 
conduct  to  be  true  and  divine.  We  learn  in 
1  Tim.  3:  16  that  Christ  was  "justified  in  the 
Spirit,"  proved  by  his  deeds  and  teachings 
to  possess  a  divine  nature.  So  Kom.  4:  3. 
Abraham  had  a  faith  which  God  accepted  as 
righteousness;  that  he  had  a  faith  of  this 
character  was  proved  by  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac. 
When  he  had  offered  his  son  Isaac  upon 
the  altar.  Thattheson  was  actually  laid  upon 
the  altar  showed  that  he  was  a  victim  devoted 
to  certain  death.  (Gen.  22:9.)  Among  the  vari- 
ous "  works"  which  sprung  from  Abraham's 
faith,  this  is  specified,  because  it  was  the  most 
conspicuous  of  them,  and  because  it  was  spe- 
c'lally  honored  and  rewarded.  (Gen.  22:  is-is.) 
How  it  pleased  God  appears  from  his  renewal 
of  the  promise  on  this  account  to  Isaac,  and 
through  him  to  his  posterity,  whom  James 
was  now  addressing.  (Gen.  26:  2-5.)  The  promise 
had  already  been  given  to  Abraham  as  a  be- 
liever (Gen.  12:  2, 3),  but  now  it  was  solemnly 
renewed  as  a  reward  of  his  act  of  faith.  The 
honor  in  which  this  act  was  held  among  the 
Jews  appears  from  the  eulogy  of  Jesus  Sirach, 
44:  20.  The  greatness  of  the  sacrifice  is  also 
intimated  here,  in  the  addition,  his  son. 
On  that  wonderful  occasion  Abraham  was 
justified  by  his  work. 

32.  Instead  of  seest  thou  how,  etc. — thou 
seest  that — faith  wrought  with  his  works. 
Such  is  the  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  the 
example  of  Abraham.  The  faith  he  had,  in- 
stead of  being  a  mere  intellectual  tenet,  was 
an   active   principle,  operating   continuously 


in  the  production  of  good  works.  His  godly 
life  had  its  root  and  support  in  faith.  The 
two,  faith  and  works,  went  together,  the 
spiritual  life  within  expressing  itself  in  out- 
ward conformity  with  the  revealed  will  of 
God.  The  Syriac  Version,  reads:  "Seest 
thou  that  his  faith  aided  his  works?"  And 
by  works  Avas  faith  made  perfect.  This 
signifies  something  more  than  that  the  works 
verified  or  confirmed  the  faith  :  they  displayed 
its  perfection;  in  them  faith  revealed  its  ex- 
cellence and  glory.  The  verb  occurs  in  a 
similar  sense  in  2  Cor.  12:  9.  "  My  strength 
is  made  perfect  in  weakness;"  then  it  is  ex- 
erted and  is  demonstrated  in  its  genuineness 
and  power.  It  is  true,  no  doubt,  as  Huther 
observes,  that  faith  in  producing  works  be- 
comes ever  more  fully  what  according  to  its 
nature  and  design  it  should  be,  and  that,  as 
the  power  of  love  increases  and  perfects  itself 
through  the  practice  of  the  works  of  love,  50 
also  faith  grows  and  perfects  itself  through 
the  performance  of  its  appropriate  works. 
But  it  may  be  questioned  whether  such  an 
idea  is  even  suggested  by  the  previous  verse, 
of  which  the  present  is  simply  the  conclusion. 
What  is  implied  there,  however,  that  the 
faith  existed  prior  to  the  works,  is  more  dis- 
tinctly intimated  here. 

23.  And  the  scripture  was  fulfilled. 
'The  Scripture'  signifies  the  passage  or  say- 
ing which  is  immediately  quoted.  The  lan- 
guage, which  is  such  as  usually  indicates  the 
accomplishment  of  a  prediction,  cannot  be 
taken  literally;  for  the  text  quoted  (Gen.  is:  6) 
was  not  a  prophecy,  but  only  a  statement  that 
Abraham  had  faith  and  was  accepted  bj'  God 
as  righteous.  But  neither  the  profession  of 
the  patriarch  nor  the  approving  sentence  of 
God  would  have  been  justified,  had  not  Abra- 
ham given  an  external  manifestation  to  the 
vital  principle  and  the  high  character  with 
which  he  had  been  credited.  Both  of  them 
were  invisible,  until  they  found  expression 
in  the  practices  of  a  pious  life.  The  text  was 
a  prophecy,  only  as  it  promised  a  career  of 
excellence;  and  in  the  works  of  Abraham 
the  happy  augury  was  fulfilled.  The  result 
of  the  trial  showed  why  God  assigned  such 


Ch.  II] 


JAMES. 


43 


ham  believed  God,  and  it  was  imputed  unto  him  for 
righteousness:  and  he  was  called  the  Friend  of  God. 

24  Ye  see  then  how  that  by  works  a  man  is  justitied, 
and  not  by  faith  only. 

25  Likewise  also  was  not  Rahab  the  harlot  justitied 


ham  believed  God,  and  it  was  reckoned  unto  him 
for  righteousness;  and  he  was  called  the  friend  of 

24  God.     Ye  see  thiit  by  works  a  man  is  justilied,  and 

25  not  only  by   faith.     And  in  like   uiuuner  was  not 
also  Kahab  the  harlot  justitied  by  works,  in  that  she 


value  to  Abraham's  faith  ;  its  heroical  and 
supernatural  energy  therein  appeared.  Abra- 
ham believed  (^od  and  it  Avas  imputed 
unto  him  for  righteousness.  God  gra- 
ciously accepted  and  rewarded  the  patri- 
arch's trust  in  him  as  righteousness.  (Rom.*:  3-5.) 
This  is  the  Pauline  idea  of  justification ; 
James  accepts  the  doctrine,  but  his  phrase- 
ology is  different  in  part  and  is  less  precise, 
(ver.  24.)  And  he  was  called  the  friend  of 
God.  So  certain  and  so  high  was  tiie  right- 
eousness Abraham  possessed,  that  he  was  also 
designated  by  the  distinguished  title  of  the 
friend  of  God.  This  title  appears  twice  in  our 
Version:  in  2  Chron.  20:  7,  where  "thy 
friend''  is  literally  "thy  beloved,'"  and  in 
Isa.  41 :  8.  It  was  commonly  applied  to 
Abraham  among  the  Jews,  and  appears  in 
Philo.  It  is  a  common  title  of  Abraham 
among  the  Arabs  of  the  present  daj',  who 
designate  H(!bron  the  city  of  Abraham  by 
the  name  El  Khali),  the  Friend.  That  Abra- 
ham was  a  righteous  man  eminently  was  ac- 
knowledged by  every  one.  We  attain  the 
same  honor  by  imitating  the  example  set  by 
the  Father  of  the  Faithful.  Jesus  says  "Ye 
are  mj'  friends  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  com- 
mand you."       (John  15:  14.) 

Note. — Dr.  J.  G.  Kosenmueller  adduces 
this  passage  as  one  of  the  proofs  to  show  that 
the  fulfillments  of  prophecy  may  take  place  in 
something  which  only  resembles  the  literal 
and  historical  sense;  but  incorrectly.  For, 
as  in  strictness  there  was  no  real  prophecy  in 
the  divine  acceptance  of  believing  Abraham 
as  righteous,  the  subsequent  evidence  that  he 
was  righteous  cannot  be  regarded  either  as  a 
real  or  as  an  accommodated  fulfillment.  The 
conduct  of  Abraham  proved  him  to  have 
such  a  character  as  the  word  of  God  has  a.s- 
cribed  to  him.  The  facts  of  the  case  verified 
the  estimates  of  inspiration,  and  confirmed 
the  oracle  of  divine  approval.  The  verb  'ful- 
filled '  does  not  change  its  meaning  here,  but 
is  used  metaphorically. 

24.  Then  how  should  be  omitted.  Ye  see 
that  by  works  a  man  is  justified — declared 
to  be  a  righteous  man.  No  doctrine  of  re- 
ligion   accepted,    no    profession    of   religion 


made,  can  prove  this.  The  performance 
of  life's  duties  in  the  fear  of  God  pro- 
claims the  genuineness  of  the  disciple's  pro- 
fessions and  his  possession  of  divine  grace. 
And  not  by  faith  only  —  (Syriac)  "faith 
alone."  This  indicates  that  faith  justifies; 
yet  to  that  state  of  justification  which  James 
is  considering,  and  which  embraces  the  be- 
ginning and  the  whole  progress  of  the  Chris- 
tian experience,  works  are  as  necessary  as 
faith.  There  must  be  faith,  such  as  Abraham 
cherished,  to  establish  the  relation  of  inti- 
macy with  God  ;  but,  as  time  and  opportunity 
summon  the  believer,  there  must  be  good 
works  also,  in  order  to  approve  his  righteous- 
ness; and  to  him,  as  he  was  to  Abraham,  God 
is  the  friend  and  patron.  'Faith  onb''  sig- 
nifies faith  by  itself,  having  no  influence  or 
forth-putting.  Neither  does  Paul  command 
this  sort  of  faith  ;  but  rather  a  faith  that 
works  by  love  and  produces  purity.  Both 
Paul  and  James  recognize  faith  as  a  principle, 
without  which  acceptable  works  cannot  be 
performed  and  salvation  cannot  be  attained. 
But  the  teaching  of  Paul  upon  the  subject  is 
deeper,  and  yet  more  sharply  defined;  and  to 
this  extent  confirms  the  view  of  tho.se  who 
regard  his  epistle  as  later  than  that  of  James, 
who  gives  the  practical  view.  The  principle 
here  stated  by  our  author  is  the  rule  of  the' 
final  judgment. 

Note— Neander  and  others  hold  that  the  fa- 
natical faith  which  James  was  denouncing  was 
rather  a  perversion  of  Judaism  than  of  Chris- 
tianity, being  identical  with  that  described  in 
Matt.  23  :  15.  Stanley  indicates  its  two  forms. 
1.  A  blind  reliance  upon  the  privileges  of  the 
chosen  race,  like  the  Mohammedan  belief 
that  a  death  in  battle  is  a  passport  to  heaven. 
Compare  Jer.  7  :  4;  2  Mace.  12:  43-45;  Eccles. 
7:  4.  Also  James  1:  13;  Jos.  "Ant."  13: 
5,  9.  This  presumptuous  confidence  was  dis- 
played in  the  last  siege  of  Jeru.salem.  2.  A 
trust  in  their  orthodox  belief  in  the  unity  of 
God.  (Ver.  19;  Rom.  2:  n.)  For  later  references, 
compare  Stanley's  "Apostolic  Age,"  p. 
301,  n. 

25.  Likewise  also— better,  ond  in  like 
manner.    Was  not  Rahab  the  harlot  justi- 


44 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  hi. 


by  works,  when  she  had  received  the  messengers,  and 
had  sent  Ihem  out  another  way? 

26  For  as  the  body  without  the  spirit  is  dead,  so  faith 
without  works  is  dead  also. 


received  the  messengers,  and  sent  them  out  another 
26  way?    For  as  the  body  apart  from   the  spirit  is 
dead,  even  so  faith  apart  from  works  is  dead. 


M 


Y  brethren,  be  not  many  masters,  knowing  that  we 
shall  receive  the  greater  condemnation. 


CHAPTEK  III. 

1  Be  not  many  of  you  teachers,  my  brethren,  know- 


fied  by  works?  Rahab  was  a  Gentile,  deliv- 
ered from  destruction  by  a  faith  which  in- 
duced her  to  run  the  risk  of  death,  in  the 
service  of  God's  people.  Hence,  her  example 
was  memorable.  (Heb.  ii:3i.)  She  also  belonged 
to  that  unhappy  class  to  whom  a  new  hope 
was  imparted  by  Christ's  gracious  words  in 
Matt.  21 :  31,  32.  If  Abraham's  faith  might 
be  regarded  as  something  apart,  to  which 
none  dared  to  aspire,  then  Rahab's  might 
afford  an  encouraging  example.  The  two 
represented  the  divisions  of  the  human  race, 
nationally  as  Jew  and  Gentile,  socially  as 
male  and  female.  This  woman,  alien  as  she 
was  to  the  blood  of  Abraham,  and  depraved 
as  were  the  masses  of  the  heathen  world,  was, 
like  Abraham,  'justified  by  the  works  of 
faith.'  When  she  had  received  the  mes- 
sengers and  sent  them  out  another  way. 
The  narrative  style  is  best  preserved  by  omit- 
ting '  had'  before  the  verbs.  She  entertained 
the  Jewish  spies,  and,  when  they  were  in 
danger,  sent  them  away  with  urgent  haste,  as 
the  verb  implies.  (Josh.  2:  is,  i6.)  They  were 
let  down  by  a  window  on  the  wall,  and  so 
departed  by  a  different  way  from  that  by 
which  they  had  entered  her  house.  These 
acts  approved  Rahab's  faith,  and  entitled  her 
to  the  favor  of  the  Israelites.  Hence,  her  life 
was  spared ;  she  was  thus  formally  excepted 
from  the  sentence  pronounced  upon  the  in- 
habitants of  Jericho.  (Job.  6:  25.)  She  was 
made  a  member  of  an  eminent  Jewish  family 
(Matt.  1:5),  and  thus  became  an  ancestress  of 
our  Lord.  Rahab  was,  doubtless,  an  inn- 
keeper— a  class  whose  moral  character  in  hea- 
then lands  was  so  infamous  that  its  members 
were  not  allowed  to  enter  the  Christian 
churches,  except  on  the  condition  of  changing 
their  occupation.  The  heathen  tavern  was  a 
brothel.  Compare  "Apost.  Constitutions," 
B.  VIII.,  C.  32. 

26,  For  as  the  body  Avithout  the  spirit 
is  dead,  so  faith  without  works  is  dead 
also.  Thus  the  argument  is  concluded  by 
repeating  the  sentence  of  ver.  17,  and  adding 


the  figure  of  a  body  without  the  spirit. 
James  describes  man  popularly  as  consisting 
of  body  and  spirit.  The  latter  is  the  breath 
of  life  communicated  by  the  Creator.  (Gen.  2: 
7;6:n;  R..v.ii:ii.)  When  this  vital  spirit  is 
withdrawn,  the  man  becomes  a  carcass.  As 
worthless  as  this  decaying,  frail  sembhince  of 
our  humanity  is  faith  apart  from  \vork:i.  The 
individual  members  of  the  comparison  are 
not  to  be  connected,  as  if  the  body  corre- 
sponded with  faith  and  the  spirit  with  works. 
The  general  thought  is  that  an  inoperative 
faith  is  as  worthless  as  a  lifeless  carcass.  [It 
may  be  worthy  of  notice  that  there  is  no 
article  before  the  word  "spirit"  in  the  Greek 
original.  Hence  the  clause  might  be  trans- 
lated, "As  the  body  without  spirit  (or  a 
spirit)  is  dead,"  etc. ;  and  as  the  meaning  of 
the  expression  is  entirely  satisfactory  without 
adding  the  article  in  translation,  it  is  perhaps 
safer  to  translate  literally. — A.  H.] 


II.  Division.— The  Godly  in  Trial  and 
Temptation  should  be  Slow  to  Speak. 
Warning  against  Sins  of  the  Tongue. 
3:  1-12. 

1.  Those  who  transgress  in  this  particular 
will  be  the  more  severely  judged.     1:  1,  2. 

1.  With  this  verse  begins  the  second  great 
division  of  the  Epistle,  relating  to  sins  of 
speech,  and  the  collisions  and  offences  against 
Christian  charity  caused  by  an  unbridled 
tongue.  The  godly,  in  trial  and  temptation, 
should  be  slow  to  speak.  (3:1-12.)  My  breth- 
ren, be  not  many  masters— that  is,  teach- 
ers. The  office  of  teacher  was  in  such  honor 
among  the  Jews  that  many,  however  ill 
qualified  for  its  discharge,  were  eager  to 
assume  it.  Hence,  our  Lord's  injunction. 
Matt.  23:  8-10,  and  Paul's  warning,  Rom.  "z; 
17.  The  same  self-pleasing  vanity  led  many 
to  undertake  the  work  of  exposition  and  in- 
struction in  the  early  churches.  This  vain 
ostentation  of  knowledge  already  had  led  to 
wrangling,  and  produced  much  disorder,  as 
it  did  subsequently  in  the  Church  at  Corinth. 


Ch.  III.] 


JAMES. 


45 


2  For  in  many  things  we  offend  all.  If  any  man  of- 
fend not  in  word,  the  same  (*•  a  perlect  uiau,  and  able 
also  to  bridle  the  whole  body. 

3  Behold,  we  put  bits  in  the  horses'  mouths,  that  they 
may  obey  us;  and  we  turn  about  their  whole  body. 

4  Behold  also   the  ships,  which   though   thet/  be  so 


2  ing  that  we  shall  receive  heavier^  judgment.  For  iu 
many  things  we  all  stumlile.  If  any  stuniblelh  not 
in  word,  the  same  is  a  perlect  man, able  ti>  bridle  tlie 

3  whole  body  also.  Now  if  we  put  the  horses'  bridles 
into  their  mouths,  tliat  they  may  obey  us,  we  luru 

4  about  their  whole  body  also.    Behold,  the  ships  also, 


(i  Cor.  14:  29.)  The  Wanting  is  not  against  teach- 
ing; but  against  tlie  conceit  which  led  the  in- 
competent to  set  themselves  up  as  teachers, 
and  to  swarm  into  the  oflBce.  [Says  Alford, 
showing  the  connection  of  thisexhortatiun  with 
what  precedes  it,  ".Become  M0<  many  teachers." 
The  more  the  idea  prevailed  that  faith,  without 
corresponding  obedience,  was  all  that  is  need- 
ful, the  more  men  would  eagerly  press  for- 
ward to  teach.— A.  H.]  "Wise  is  the  old 
Jewish  maxim,  "Love  the  work  of  a  teacher; 
but  strive  not  after  the  honor."  The  warning 
is  not  against  free,  mutual  exhortation  (i  Cor. 
It:  26-33),  but  against  the  abuse  of  this  privilege 
by  the  forward  and  contentious.  Knowing 
that  we  shall  receive  the  greater  con- 
demnation. By  a  sudden  change  of  person 
James  applies  the  warning  to  himself  also. 
"Condemnation":  \itera,UyJudg7nent,  usually 
in  the  New  Testament  expresses  an  adverse 
decision  or  a  sentence  of  punishment,  as  in 
2:  13;  John  12:  31 ;  1  Tim.  5:  24.  The  lan- 
guage of  our  text  seems  borrowed  from  our 
Lord's  warning  to  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees, 
the  blind  and  hypocritical  guides  of  the  Jews. 
(Malt.  23:  It.)  In  such  a  case,  the  condemnation 
is  greater  than  in  that  of  those  who  do  not 
undertake  to  teach,  because  their  influence 
for  evil  is  greater.  (John9:4i.)  A  solemn 
thought  for  tho.se  who  undertake  to  teach  and 
rule  others,  without  concerning  themselves  as 
to  the  improvement  of  their  own  faulty  char- 
acter and  evil  lives! 

2.  For  in  many  things  we  offend  all. 
The  text  confirms  the  last  clause  of  the  fore- 
going verse.  We  all  fail  in  duty— literally, 
stumble;  and  so  become  liable  to  condemna- 
tion ;  but  there  is  special  danger  of  transgres- 
sion 'in  word,'  for  the  proper  management  of 
the  tongue  requires  the  highest  wisdom.  The 
reference  in  the  first  clause  of  the  text  is  not 
to  the  transgressions  of  teachers  or  their  errors 
of  doctrine,  but  to  the  various  moral  defects 
belonging  to  all  men.  If  any  man  offend 
not  in  word,  the  same  is  a  perfect  man. 
Instead  of  '  any  man,'  read  any  one.  '  Word ' 
does  not  relate  to  teaching  only,  but  to  speech 


in  general;  Syriac,  discourse.  'A  perfect 
man'  is  an  adult  (i  Cor.  i4: 20;  Heb.5:  i4),  one 
who  has  attained  the  end  of  his  development. 
As  applied  to  a  Christian  it  indicates  one 
whose  moral  growth  is  complete  (Hch.  12:23), 
and  whose  trained  and  vigorous  powers  are 
in  harmony  with  the  will  of  God.  The  con- 
trol of  speech  is  the  evidence  that  one  has 
attained  this  standard  of  Christian  manhood. 
That  absolute  perfection  is  not  meant  is  shown 
by  the  first  clause.  And  able  to  bridle  also 
the  whole  body.  Omit  'and.'  He  who 
controls  the  tongue  has  all  the  other  members 
subject  to  his  command.  The  desires  of  the 
evil  heart,  which  lead  to  sin  (Matt.  15 :  19),  are 
represented  as  pervading  the  members  of  the 
body,  and  dwelling  in  them  (Rom.7:23);  but 
he  who  has  mastered  the  most  reluctant  of 
these  organs  has  already  performed  the  most 
diflacult  act  of  Christian  virtue,  and  is  now 
monarch  of  himself.  In  the  verb  to  'bridle' 
the  metaphor  of  chapter  1 :  26  is  recalled. 

2.  Reasons  for  the  judgment  denounced 
against  the  sins  of  the  tongue.     3 :  3-12. 

a.  The  wonderful  power  of  the  tongue.  3: 
3-6. 

b.  The  power  of  man,  the  lord  of  Nature,  to 
control  the  tongue.     3:  7-12. 

3.  That  the  mastery  of  the  tongue  aids  the 
mastery  of  the  whole  body  is  illustrated  by  a 
comparison:  The  case  is  like  that  in  which  we 
manage  horses  by  bits  in  the  mouth.  Behold 
is  to  be  rejected,  but  the  particles  which  take  its 
place  {but  if)  are  awkward  in  English.  It 
would  be  best  to  render  the  whole  ver.-e.  When 
we  put  bits  into  the  mouths  of  horses,  that  they 
may  obey  us,  we  turn  about  their  whole  body. 
The  use  of  the  bit  is  at  once  the  assertion  and 
the  means  '>f  mastery :  it  controls  the  mouth 
and  the  whole  creature.  As  James  is  treating 
of  the  control  of  the  tongue,  the  figure  is  hap- 
pily selected.  The  moral  lesson  lies  upon  the 
surface  of  the  text.  He  who  has  so  great  and 
easy  a  mastery  over  a  brute  creature,  will- 
ful and  powerful,  should  be  able  to  govern 
himself. 

4.  Behold    calls   attention   to   the   second 


46 


JAMES. 


great,  and  are  driven  of  fierce  winds,  yet  are  they 
turned  about  with  a  very  small  helm,  whithersoever 
the  governor  listelh. 

5  Kven  so  the  tongue  is  a  little  member,  and  boasteth 
great  things.  Behold,  how  great  a  matter  a  little  tire 
kindleth! 

6  And  the  tongue  is  a  fire,  a  world  of  iniquity  so  is 
the  tongue  among  our  members,  that  it  detilelh  the 


[Ch.  III. 


though  they  are  so  great,  and  are  driven  by  rough 
winds,  are  yet  turned  about  bv  a  very  small  rudder 

5  whiiher  the  impulse  ot  the  steersmiin  willeth  So' 
the  tongue  also  is  a  little  member,  and  boasteth  great 
things.    Behold  1  how  much  wood  is  kindled  by  how 

C  small  a  fire!  And  the  tongue  is  2 a  fire:  3 the  world 
ot  iniquity  among  our  members  is  the  tongue,  which 


1  Or,  *„«,  great  a  /orcC 2  Or,  afire,  tkat  .orld  of  ini^uiu,  ,-  ,/,e  tongue  is  a^::o^:;:;,;rZ~,:e^;^,;::^:;^,  ^, ,  Or  tnat^„li 

»/  '»wmty,  the.  tongue,  is  among  our  members  that  which,  <tc. 


comparison,  which  to  James  must  have  been 
the  more  impressive,  as  connected  witii  his 
personal  recollections  of  stormy  Galilee.  The 
rudder  governs  the  huge  bulk  of  the  ship, 
even  when  the  vessel  is  driven  by  furious 
winds.  The  rudder  is  described  as  very  little, 
the  superlative  strengthening  the  contrast. 
Like  a  ship  in  the  tempest  is  man  amid  the 
temptations  and  trials  of  life.  Whitherso- 
ever the  governor  listeth— literally,  ivhith- 
ersoever  the  desire  of  the  helmsman  willeth. 
Such  is  the  original,  which  is  given  in  a  con- 
densed form  in  our  version.  Etymologically  a 
'governor'  {gubernator)  is  a  helmsman,  the 
pilot,  who  stiinds  at  the  rudder  and  guides  the 
ship,  and  whose  resolute  will  prevails  against 
the  violence  of  revolted  nature. 

5.  Here  the  comparison   is  applied  to  the 
subject  in  hand.     For  even  so  read  so  also. 
The  tongue  is  a  little  member  of  the  body,  as 
the   rudder  is  but  a  small  part  of  the  ship. 
Yet  it  boasts  great  things;   the  idea  is,  not 
that  the  boasting   is   empty,   and  that  great 
things  are   not   performed  by  the  tongue,  a 
thought  which  would  be  inharmonious  with 
the  connection  ;   but  that  it  is  so  conscious  of 
its  power,  ar  to  be  possessed  by  arrogant  pre- 
sumption.    James  here  speaks  of  its  boasting 
great  things,  rather  than  of  its  working  great 
things,   because  the  effects  of   its  power  are 
commonly    deplorable,    as     he    immediately 
proceeds  to  show.      Behold,   how  great  a 
matter  a  little  fire  kindleth!     Instead  of 
'matter,'  pile  of  materials,  forest,   is   to   be 
preferred  as  the  primary  meaning  of  the  word, 
and  as  making  the  figure  much  more  striking 
and  beautiful ;   so  in  the  Syriac.     It   was  a 
common   figure   among    the    classic   writers. 
Stobffius  says:     "A  little  torch  can  burn  the 
summit  of  Ida."     Homer  speaks  of  "a  spark, 
scarce  seen,  which  fires  a  boundless  forest." 
And  Virgil  draws  an  animated  picture  of  the 
desolation  resulting  from   fire  dropped  by  a 
careless  shepherd,  which  at  length  reaches  the 
tree  tops,  "  and  wraps  the  forest  in  a  robe  of 


flame."  The  same  figure  occurs  in  Eccles. 
11 :  32,  and  frequently  in  Philo.  In  its  germ 
it  is  to  be  found  in  Prov.  10:  27.  In  a  coun- 
try abounding  in  olive  plantations,  like  Judea, 
these  forest  fires  were  especially  destructive; 
the  fire  described  by  Virgil  ("Georcr."  2: 
302-314)  originated  among  the  wild  olives. 
Here  again  James  draws  a  figure  from  his 
own  exj)erience.  And  the  tongue  is  a  spark 
that  may  set  families,  churches,  and  societies 
on  fire.  [By  a  change  of  reading,  which  has 
much  in  its  favor,  and  is  adopted  by  Tisch- 
dorf,  Tregellcs,  Alf.,  Mey.,  Westcott  and 
Hort,  and  others,  this  clause  must  signify 
either :  "  How  great  a  fire,  how  great  a  forest 
does  it  (viz.,  the  tDngue)  kindle;"  or,  "how 
small  a  fire  kindles  how  great  a  forest"— the 
word  which  takes  the  place  of  "  little"  before 
"fire,"  metining  ordinarily  "how  great,"  but 
sometimes  "  how  small."  I  prefer  the  second 
interpretation:  "How  small  a  fire  kindles 
how  great  a  forest!  "  By  omitting  'and'  be- 
fore the  clause,  Davidson  translates:  "Be- 
hold, how  great  a  fire,  how  great  a  wood,  does 
the  tongue  kindle!  A  fire,  the  world  of  un- 
righteousness, the  tongue  sets  itself  among 
our  members,"  etc.  This  is  the  reading  and 
punctuation  of  Tischendorf.  But  the  'and' 
(tal)  is  supported  by  the  uncials  X  A  B  C  K  L 
P  against  x,  and  should,  therefore,  be  re- 
tained.—A.  H.] 

6.  Here  the  comparison,  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  foregoing  verse  is  applied.  And  from 
the  mighty  destructive  jiower  of  the  tongue  it 
may  be  concluded  that  he  who  under.nands 
how  to  bridle  it  has  indeed  attained  a  com- 
plete and  noble  manhood,  (ver.2.)  And  the 
tongue  is  a  fire,  a  Avorld  of  iniquity. 
Such  a  fire  as  I  have  described  is  the  tongue, 
so  insidious  and  so  deadly.  When  surren- 
dered to  evil  thoughts,  desires,  and  purposes, 
it  is  a  world  of  iniquity,  in  which  every  vari- 
ety of  evil  finds  a  place,  and  e.xerts  its  destroy- 
ing power.  In  the  original,  'world'  is  em- 
phatic—Mai  world  or  the  world.     So  is  the 


Ch.  III.] 


JAMES. 


47 


whole  body,  and  setteth  on  fire  the  course  of  nature; 
and  it  Is  set  ou  tire  of  hell 

7  For  every  kiud  of  btasts,  and  of  birds,  and  of  ser- 
pents, and  of  things  in  the  sua,  is  tamed,  and  hath  been 
tamed  of  mankind : 


defileth  the  whole  body,  and  setteth  on  fire  the 

7  wheel  of  'nature,  and  is  set  on  tire  by  hell.     For 

every  -  kind  of  beasts  and  birds,  of  cree|iing  things 

and  things  in  the  sea,  is  tamed  and  hath  been  tamed 


1  Or,  birth 2  Gr.  nature. 


tongue  among  our  members,  that  it  de- 
fileth the  whole  body.  A  better  rendering 
would  be:  So  the  tongue  among  our  members 
is  that  which  defileth,  etc.,  which,  although 
not  precisely  literal,  expresses  nearly  enough 
the  sense  of  the  original.  [The  latest  editors 
otnit  the  word  meaning  'so,'  as  forming  no 
part  of  the  original  text.  With  this  omission, 
Alfurd  translates  thus:  "The  tongue  is  that 
one  among  our  members  which  defileth  the 
whole  body,  and  setteth  on  fire  the  course  of 
nature";  and  Davidson  thus:  "The  tongue 
sets  itself  among  our  members,  both  defiling 
the  whole  body,  and  setting  on  fire  the  wheel 
of  life";  and  Huther,  in  Meyer's  Comment- 
ary, gives  a  German  translation  identical  in 
sense  with  Davidson's. — A.  H.]  Words  are 
not  mere  idle  breath  which  go  forth  and  are 
lost  in  empty  air.  The  impure  or  wrathful 
utterance  is  infectious  to  the  blood  of  the 
utterer — a  moral  leprosy,  influencing  all  the 
members  and  defiling  all  the  actions.  And 
setteth  on  fire  the  course  of  nature — 
better,  the  wheel  or  circle  of  life.  Life  is  rep- 
resented as  a  wheel  that  is  set  in  motion  at 
our  birth  and  rolls  onward.  The  same  figure 
occurs  in  Anacroon,  "Ode  4." 

For  fast  away  our  moments  steal 

Like  the  swift  chariot's  rolling  wheel; 

The  rapid  course  is  quickly  done, 

And  soon  the  race  of  life  is  run ; 

Then,  then  alas !  we  droop,  we  die, 

And  sunk  in  dissolution  lie. 

The  inspired  writer  speaks,  as  it  were,  in 
accents  broken  by  indignation,  in  represent- 
ing the  terrible  mischiefs  of  the  tongue.  Now 
it  is  a  world  of  iniquity,  a  fullness  of  unright- 
eousness; now  the  axle  upon  which  the  wheel 
of  life  revolves  and  by  which  it  is  set  on  fire. 
The  Syriac  translator  in  striving  to  smooth 
the  sentence  has  destroyed  much  of  its  spirit. 
And  it  is  set  on  lire  ofheli— literally,  6^in^ 
set  on  fire  of  Gehenna.  As  the  fiery  tongues 
of  Pentecost  were  from  above,  these  tongues, 
burning  with  unhallowed  fire,  arc  kindled 
from  below.  And  the  participle  (the  present) 
indicates  that  the  flame  is  being  continually 


communicated.  The  word  Gehenna  appears 
only  in  the  Synoptic  Gospels  and  here.  It 
was  the  name  of  a  vallej'  to  the  west  and  south 
of  Jerusalem,  where  children  were  burned 
alive  by  the  idolatrous  Jews  in  honor  of 
Moloch,  and  is  supposed  from  their  piercing 
cries  to  have  received  its  name,  which  signi- 
fies, "  the  valley  of  lamentation."  After  the 
horrid  rites,  once  performed  there,  had  been 
prohibited  by  Josiah  (2  Kings  23:  lo),  the  place 
became  a  common,  where  all  the  filth  of  the 
city  was  deposited,  and  the  dead  bodies  of 
animals  were  cast  and  consumed  in  flames 
that  were  kept  continually  burning.  This 
horrible  place  was  called  the  Gehenna  of  Fire, 
and  was  a  symbol  of  hell,  where  the  wicked 
will  be  punished  forever,  (isa. 66:24;  natus:  22,29; 

10:  28;  18:  9;  23:  15,33;  Mark  9 :  43-47;  Luke  12 :  5.)     HcnCB 

the  idea  of  James  in  our  text  is  that  the  evil 
tongue  is  inflamed  by  hell,  is  under  the 
devil's  control,  is  doing  his  work,  and  is  pre- 
paring for  his  doom. 

b.  Man  as  the  lord  of  nature  has  power  to 
control  the  tongue.     Ver.  7-12. 

7.  This  and  the  following  verse  indicate  the 
tameless  power  of  the  tongue  which,  to  his 
disgrace,  man,  the  lord  of  nature,  fails  to 
subdue.  For  every  kind  (literally,  nature) 
of  beasts,  and  of  birds,  and  of  serpents 
{reptiles),  and  of  things  in  the  sea,  is 
tamed,  and  hath  been  tamed  of  man- 
kind. The  enumeration  is  intended  to 
embrace  all  creatures,  those  that  walk,  those 
that  fly,  those  that  crawl,  those  that  swim. 
So  in  Gen.  9:  2.  Their  nature  is  inferior  to 
man's  nature,  and  does  homage  to  it.  He  has 
made  the  domestic  animals  his  servants,  the 
wild  animals  his  vassals.  The  horse  draws 
his  chariotc;  but  when  he  wills  the  lion  also 
submits  to  the  yoke.  The  hound  hunts  for 
him  ;  but  if  he  demands,  the  cormorants  will 
pursue  the  fish  at  his  bidding,  and  the  falcon 
strike  his  quarry  in  the  air.  He  can  call  the 
timid  fish  and  birds  around  him,  and  charm 
the  serpent  of  its  venom,  and  lure  the  scaly 
and  savage  leviathan  from  his  deeps.  History 
is  full  of  instances  in  which  man's  nature  has 


48 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  III. 


8  But  the  tongue  can  no  man  tame;  it  is  an  unruly 
evil,  full  ofdeadl}'  poison. 

9  Therewith  bless  we  God,  even  the  Father;  and 
therewith  curse  we  men,  which  are  made  after  the 
similitude  of  God. 

10  Out  of  the  same  mouth  proceedeth  blessing  and 
cursing.    My  brethren,  these  things  ought  not  so  to  be. 


8  iby  2 mankind:  but  the  tongue  can  no  man  tame; 

9  il  is  a  restless  evil,  il  is  full  of  deadly  poison.  There- 
with bless  Wf  the  Lord  and  Father;  and  iherewith 
curse  we  men,  who  are  made  after  the   likeness  of 

10  God  :  out  of  the  s;ime  mouth  comet h  forth  blessing 
and  cursing.     My  brethren,  these  things  ought  not 

11  so  to  be.     Uoth  the  fountain  send  forth    from  the 


1  Or,  unto  i  Gr.  tlie  huii 


thus  asserted  its  power  over  thtit  of  all  other 
creatures.  Cassian  relates  that  the  Apostle 
John  kept  a  ta file  partridge  as  a  pet — a  cir- 
cumstance too  frequent  to  be  worthy  of 
mention,  except  that  it  associates  our  text 
with  the  history  of  the  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved. 

8.  But  the  tongue  can  no  man  tame. 
'But'  introduces  a  contrast  to  the  preceding 
verse.  'The  tongue'  referred  to  is  not  that 
of  others,  but  one's  own.  Not  even  the 
glorious,  powerful  nature  of  man  can  repress 
its  quick  sallies  and  passionate  outbursts.  In 
the  best  it  is  but  imperfectly  tamed ;  in  others 
it  exercises  an  overmastering  power.  The 
tongue  is  personified  as  a  wild  creature.  It 
is  an  unruly  evil,  full  of  deadly  poison. 
'It  is'  does  not  appear  in  the  original;  if  left 
out,  the  close  of  the  verse  would  be  an  ex- 
clamation expressive  of  moral  indignation. 
Instead  of  'unruly,'  uncontrollable,  the  best 
authorities  read  'restless,'  the  same  word  as 
in  1:  8.  Hermas  says:  "An  evil  spirit 
is  calumny  and  a  restless  demon."  'Full 
of  deadly  poison  '  may  be  an  echo  of  Psalm 
140:  3,  "Adders'  poison  is  under  their  lips," 
which  Paul  quotes  in  Rom.  3:  18.  "  A  word 
of  evil  from  the  old  Serpent  consigned  our 
race  to  death,  and,  like  Satan's  tongue,  are  in 
a  degree  the  tongues  of  all  his  children." 
And  perhaps  more  destructive  than  the  words 
of  the  wicked  is  the  language  of  wrath,  im- 
purity, or  impiety,  uttered  byjthose  who  claim 
to  be  the  disciples  of  Jesus  Chri.st.  The  verses 
immediately  ensuing  show  that  James  had 
the  case  of  such  wayward  and  inconsistent 
brethren  especially  in  view. 

9.  Notwithstanding  the  dilBeulty  of  con- 
trolling it,  the  misuse  of  the  tongue  is  incon- 
sistent with  the  Christian  profe.ssion,  and 
deeply  criminal  tind  intilignant.  Therewith 
bless  we  God,  even  the  Father.  The  best 
authorities  substitute  "Lord"  instead  of 
'God,'  as  in  the  Syriac;  hence  it  would  be 
better  to  read  our  Lord  and  Father. _  '  There- 
with '  indicates  that  the  tongue  is  the  means 


and  instrument  we  employ  :  it  is  repeated  in 
the  second  clause  to  mark  the  contrast  more 
distinctly.  To  '  bless  God'  is  to  celebrate  his 
name  and  acts  with  praises  (Pa.  us:  21),  recog- 
nizing him  as  the  sovereign  and  majestic 
Lord,  and  the  loving  and  gracious  Father. 
(Matt,  u:  25.)  Therewith  curse  we  men 
which  (w/;o)are  made  after  the  similitude 
of  God.  James  associates  himself  with  those 
whom  he  addresses,  because  the  sin  he  is 
denouncing  is  the  sin  of  human  nature.  Yet 
it  is  not  the  less  to  be  reprobated.  To  wish 
evil  to  men  who,  although  defiled  by  sin,  are 
yet  spared  by  God,  and  have  not  finished 
their  probiition,  is  to  arrogate  to  ourselves  the 
right  of  deciding  their  destiny.  Besides,  even 
the  sinner  retains  the  similitude  of  God.  In 
his  intellectual  and  moral  qualities  man  repre- 
sents God  on  earth,  has  the  lordship  of  nature, 
and  is  captible  of  knowing,  loving,  and  serving 
the  great  Creator.  (Gen. i:  26.)  As  God's  nt)blest 
creature,  and  as  our  neighbor,  he  should  re- 
ceive from  us,  hot  hatred,  but  love,  (siatt.  5:  44.) 
Even  in  man's  fallen  state  "an  indelible 
nobility  remains."  (Bengel.)  If  he  is  "  the 
scandal,"  he  is  at  the  same  time  "the  glory 
of  the  universe."  (Pascal.)  Hence  he  who 
curses  man,  sins  against  the  Eternal  and 
Blessed  One,  who  made  man,  and  who  rules 
and  loves  him.  To  praise  God  and  curse  men 
with  the  same  tongue  is  to  maintain  only  tiie 
hollow  semblance  of  piety.  Thus  James  con- 
demned the  fierce  intolerance  of  his  own 
people,  and  not  less  that  which,  in  succeeding 
centuries,  has  stained  the  records  of  Church 
history  with  tears  and  blood.  The  most  bitter 
conflicts  and  crusades  of  tongue,  pen,  and 
sword  have  been  waged  on  the  Jesuitiotil  pre- 
text that  they  were  prosecuted  "for  the  greater 
glory  of  God."  The  frightful  massacre  of 
St.  Bartholomew,  when  the  streets  of  Paris 
ran  blood,  was  celebrated  by  a  Te  Deinn  at 
Rome.  A  medal  struck  to  commemorate  the 
event  bore  the  inscription:  "Piety  excited 
justice." 
10.  Out  of  the  same  mouth.  The  passage 


Ch.  III.] 


JAMES. 


49 


11  Doth  a  fountain  send  forth  at  the  same  place 
sweet  u'ttter  and  bitter?  ,.      v      •     o 

12  Can  the  fij;  tree,  my  brethren,  bear  olive  berries; 
either  a  vine,  figs?  so  can  no  fountain  both  yield  suit 
water  and  fresh. 


repeats  in  brief  what  has  just  been  said.  The 
emphasis  is  on  '  same.'  In  Hebrew,  the  word 
for  blessing  and  cursing  is  the  same;  hence  it 
is  a  question  among  translators  whether  the 
appeal  of  Job's  wife  to  the  afflicted  patriarch 
is  ironical,  "  Bless  God  and  die  "  ;  or  is  a  cry 
of  indignation  and  despair,  "Curse  God  and 
die."  [The  Revised  Version  translates  Job 
2:9:  "Then  said  his  wife  unto  him,  Dost 
thou  still  hold  fast  thine  integrity?  renounce 
God,  and  die"— that  is,  bid  farewell  to  God, 
and  die.— A.  H.]  The  tongue,  as  it  were  with 
one  eff'ort,  can  utter  either  a  blessing  or  a 
curse,  or  both.  But  God  has  consecrated  it  to 
the  kindly  work  of  blessing.  To  use  it  both 
for  cursing  and  blessing  is  to  contravene  the 
design  of  its  Maker  and  the  order  of  nature, 
and  to  pervert  the  precious  and  sacred  gift  of 
speech.  The  warning  added  is  presented  in 
the  form  of  a  general  maxim.     (Winer.) 

11.  The  unnaturalness  of  the  course  repro- 
bated is  illustrated  by  a  figure.  Send  forth 
at  the  same  place— literally,  spurt  forth  at 
the  same  orifice.  'The  place'  is  the  opening 
in  the  rock,  through  which  the  spring  water 
gushes.  Sweet  water  and  bitter— literally, 
the  sweet  and  the  bitter.  'Water'  is  under- 
stood. Palestine  is  a  land  abounding  in 
springs  (oeut. s:?),  many  of  which,  however, 
are  impregnated  with  mineral  substances,  as 
salt  and  sulphur.  The  springs  on  the  hill 
country  of  Judea,  sloping  toward  the  Dead 
Sea,  are  brackish,  and  so  are  many  others: 
Plumptre:  "Compare  the  sweetening  of  the 
spring  which  supplied  the  college  of  the  sons 
of  the  prophets  (2  Kings  2:  19),  and  the  symbolic 
healing  of  the  waters.  (Ezen.  *7 :  9.)' '  The  open- 
ing at  the  fountain  corresponds  to  the  mouth, 

•and  the  stream  to  the  tongue,  or  the  flow  of 
speech;  the  uniformity  of  nature's  inarticu- 
late language  condemns  the  man  from  whose 
mouth  comes  blessing  and  cursing.  His  course 
has  no  analogue  in  nature. 

12.  Another  local  comparison  shows  the 
impossibility  of  reconciling  these  opposites. 
The  same  truth  is  taught  in  Matt.  7:  16,  17: 
"Do  men  gather  grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs  of 
thistles?"     The  idea  is  that  the  product  in 


12  same  opening  sweet  lonter  and  bitter?  can  a  fig  tree, 
my  brethren,  yield  olives,  or  a  vine  figs?  neither 
can  salt  water  yield  sweet. 


kind  from  which  it  springs.  Hence,  the  same 
source  cannot  produce  opposites.  Can  the 
fig  tree  bear  olive  berries?  either  a  vine 
figs?  The  vine  and  fig  tree  were  common  in 
every  Oriental  courtyard.  (.!  Ki..gsi8:3i.)  The 
olives  abounded,  and  they  gave  its  name  to 
the  height  which,  on  the  east,  overlooked 
Jerusalem.  These  various  gifts  of  Provi- 
dence, for  which  the  Jews  were  wont  to  praise 
God,  are  indicated  as  familiar  instances  to 
prove  that  nothing  can  produce  aught  that  is 
contrary  to  its  own  nature.  So  can  no  foun- 
tain both  yield  salt  water  and  fresh.  The 
best  authorities  read,  Neither  can  salt  water 
(in  the  spring)  yield  fresh.  [Alford  :  "Nei- 
ther can  salt  water  bring  forth  sweet"  ;  Da- 
vidson :  "  Neither  can  salt  water  bear  sweet ' ' ; 
Bible  Union:  "Neither  can  salt  water  yield 
fresh."  I  do  not  find  any  word  signifying 
"fountain,"  "spring"  in  the  text,  which  ap- 
pears to  have  the  best  support.  The  Revised 
Version,  it  will  be  observed,  reads,  "Neither 
can  salt  water  yield  sweet,^ '  and  this  is  probably 
the  best  rendering  of  the  Greek.— A.  H.]  In 
this  declaration  something  more  is  meant 
than  the  unnaturalness  of  the  conjunction  of 
blessing  and  cursing,  which  is  indicated  in 
the  previous  verse.  The  conjunction  is  im- 
possible; blessing  and  cursing  cannot  issue 
from  the  same  lips.  Those  who  curse  men 
cannot  praise  God.  The  blessing  is  hypocriti- 
cal, and  hence  distasteful  to  him  to  whom  it 
is  rendered;  it  is  flavored  and  "tainted  with 
the  bitterness  of  the  cursing"  ;  it  is  not  praise 
at  all.  Johnstone:  "An  unrenewed  heart  is 
a  deep  well  of  bitterness,  and  salt  water  can- 
not yield  fresh." 

III.  Division,  3:  13-4:  17.  The  (^odlt 
UNDER  Trial  and  Temptation  should  be 
Slow  to  Wrath  and  its  Kindred  Impul- 
sive Passions.     Compare  note  on  4:  1. 

1.  Gentleness  and  mnderatioji  of  Christian 
vnsdoni  depicted.     3 :  13-18. 

13.  In  this  verse  begins  the  third  general 
division  of  the  Epistle,  containing  the  devel- 
opment of  the  admonition  of  1 :  19,  "Slow  to 
wrath."  The  discussion  extends  to  the  con- 
clusion of  chapter  4.     The  first  paragraph  of 


every  case  must  correspond  to  the  cause  or  I  the   division   (ver.is-is)  discnmmates  between 
4  » 


50 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  III. 


13  Who  is  a  wise  man  and  endued  with  knowledge 
among  j'ou?  iel  him  shew  out  of  a  good  conversation 
his  works  with  meekness  of  wisdom. 

l-l  But  if  ye  liave  bitter  envying  and  strife  in  your 
hearts,  glory  not,  and  lie  not  against  the  truth. 


the  false  and  the  true  wisdom.  The  false  wis- 
dom was  the  kind  of  which  James'  readers 
boasted,  and  which,  they  supposed,  qualified 
them  to  be  teachers  in  the  house  of  God. 
(3:  1.)  Who  is  a  wise  man,  and  endued 
Avith  knowledge  among  you?  Literally, 
Who  is  wise  and  knowing.  The  direct  ques- 
tion, with  its  immediate  answer,  gives  vivacity 
to  the  discourse.  There  is  a  like  construction 
in  Ps.  34:  12-14.  The  synonyms  "wise  and 
knowing"  occur  also  in  Deut.  1:  13;  4:  6,  Sep- 
tuagint,  where  they  indicate  the  qualifications 
of  those  who  are  competent  to  exercise  au- 
thority. Compare  also  the  description  of  the 
false  teachers  of  Isa.  5 :  20,  21,  who  were 
"wise  in  their  own  eyes  and  prudent  in  their 
own  sight,"  who  called  "evil  good  and  good 
evil";  who  "put  bitter  for  sweet,  and  sweet 
for  bitter."  It  would  seem  that  James  had 
this  passage  in  his  mind.  (3:  ii.)  He  addressed 
those  who  claimed  to  have  the  moral  charac- 
ter and  the  intellectual  accomplishments 
which  qualified  them  to  be  teachers  in  the 
church,  and  indicated  to  them  what  outward 
tests  must  indicate  these  claims.  Let  him 
shew  out  of  a  good  conversation  his 
works.  As  'conversation,'  in  the  sense  in 
which  it  occurs  here,  is  obsolete,  conduct 
should  be  substituted,  as  it  should  be  in  so 

many  other  passages.       (Ps-  37:  U;  Gal.  l:  13;  l  Peter 

1:15.)  Let  him  show  by  good  conduct  hi'S 
works,  as  the  expressive  manifestations  of 
wisdom ;  so  some.  Others,  with  Neander, 
interpret  'works'  as  in  apposition  with  "con- 
duct"— "works  performed  in  the  gentleness 
expressive  of  wisdom."  The  meekness  of 
wisdom  is  the  gentleness  characteristic  of 
wisdom,  and  proceeding  from  it.  According 
to  this  last  interpretation,  which  we  prefer, 
the  text  would  read,  Let  him  show  this,  in 
his  good  conduct — his  works  in  7neekness  of 
wisdom.  The  works  of  this  sort  would  be  the 
sign  required,  instead  of  the  conceited  and 
contentious  self-assertion  inwhich  these  teach- 
ers abounded.  He  who  has  true  wisdom  is 
apt  to  say  but  little  about  himself,  and  is  will- 
ing even  to  sacrifice  his  own  pretensions  in 
the  interest  of  peace. 

14.  But  if  ye  have  bitter  envying  and 


13  Who  is  wise  and  understanding  among  yon?  let 
him  shew  by  his  good  life  his  works  in  meekness  of 

14  wisdom.     But  if  ye  have  bitter  jealousy  and  faction 
in   your  heart,   glory  not  and   lie   not  against  the 

15  truth.    This  wisdom   is  not  a  wisdom  that  cometh 

Strife  in  your  hearts.  So  diflTerent  from  the 
meekness  of  wisdom  was  the  temper  of  those 
whom  James  addressed.  'Envy'  may  easily 
assume  the  name  of  religious  zeal;  it  was  in- 
deed the  temper  of  the  Jews  against  the  Gen- 
tile converts  (Acts  13:45),  and  would  be  more 
naturally  cherished  by  one  aspiring  teacher 
against  another.  As  the  word  in  the  original 
has  also  a  good  meaning  (like  the  English 
word  zeal  which  comes  from  it),  bitter  is 
introduced  to  indicate  its  true  character  here. 
'Strife'  may  be  rendered  factiousjiess,  party- 
spirit — a  temper  so  injurious  to  Christian  fel- 
lowship, and  so  troublesome  to  the  early 
churches.  It  was  the  besetting  sin  of  the  Jews 
(Rom.  2:  8;io:  ;i;  Acts  7 :  5i),  and  it  greatly  disturbed 
the  churches  of  Corinth  (2Cor.  12;  20),  Galatia, 
CGai.5:20),  and  Komc.  (Phii.i:iD.)  It  is  the 
temper  of  hirelings  (as  the  etymology  of  the 
word  indicates)  and  of  political  candidates — 
not  that  becoming  the  disciples  of  the  meek 
and  lowly  Jesus.  'Heart'  (singular  in  the 
Greek)  is  in  contrast  with  the  speech  of  teach- 
ers boasting  of  their  wisdom.  Glory  not, 
and  lie  not  against  the  truth.  Glorying 
has  reference  to  others  over  whom  we  esteem 
ourselves  to  have  the  advantage.  Thus  the 
Jews  gloried  over  the  Gentiles;  pluming 
themselves  over  their  superior  religious  privi- 
leges, while  abusing  them,  and  saying:  "This 
people  who  have  not  the  Law  are  cursed." 
And  thus  in  their  turn  the  Gentiles  afterward 
gloried  over  the  Jews.  (Rom.  n:i8.)  Both 
needed  to  know  that  in  Jesus  Christ  neither 
circumcision  availed  anything,  noruncircum- 
cision  ;  but  a  new  creature.  Lj'ing  against 
the  truth  has  reference  to  the  doctrine  which 
they  themselves  acknowledged,  yet  which 
they  repudiated  b}'  their  partialities  and  hos-' 
tilities  against  their  own  brethren.  It  was  no 
single  truth  they  opposed,  such  as  "the 
brotherhood  of  mankind  in  Christ,"  as  in  the 
claim  (Rom. 3:  29),  that  God  was  the  God  of  the 
Jews  only  ;  but  thej'  rejected  the  whole  gospel 
of  love,  meekness,  and  long  suffering,  in  mak- 
ing the  Christian  communion  a  theatre  of  envy 
and  partisan.ship.  This  was  a  misrepresenta- 
tion of  the  truth  of  God,  and  a  hindrance  to 
its  advancement. 


Ch.  III.] 


JAMES. 


51 


15  This  wisdom  descendeth  not  from  above,  but  is 
earlbly,  sensual,  devilish. 

IG  For  where  euvyiug  and  strife  is,  there  is  con- 
fusion and  every  evil  work. 


down  from  above,  but  is  earthly,  i  sensual,  demunia- 

16  cal.     For  where  jealousy  and  faction   are,  iheie  is 

17  confusion  and  every  vile  deed.   But  the  wisdom  mat 


1  Or,  natural;  or,  animal. 


15.  In  this  and  the  next  verse  the  character 
of  false  wisdom  is  indicated:  This  wisdom 
descendeth  not  from  above — better,  This 
wisdom  is  not  that  which  descendeth  from  above. 
True  wisdom  is  heavenly  in  its  origin  and 
spirit,  and  is  won  by  prayer,  (i:  &•)  But  the 
wisdom  vaunted  (ver.  u)  has  another  character 
!?nd  another  source.  But  is  earthly,  sen- 
sual, devilish.  These  three  adjectives  form 
a  climax.  Instead  of  coming  'from  above,' 
the  wisdom  designated  here  rather  and  only 
belongs  to  earth,  as  indeed  we  find  its  expres- 
sions everywhere  in  secular  life,  among  the 
societies  of  unregenerate  men.  (pmi. 3:  i9.) 
How  different  this  from  that  heavenly  wis- 
dom displayed  in  the  history  of  Jesus  Christ ! 
'  Sensual.'  This  is  perhaps  a  good  translation 
here;  for  no  word  which  precisely  answers 
the  original  exists  in  English.  The  term  is 
rendered  in  Jude  19,  as  here,  "sensual." 
In  1  Cor.  15:  44,  and  2:  14,  it  is  rendered, 
"natural."  The  Syriac  paraphrases  it.  "from 
the  devices  of  the  soul."  It  applies  to  man  as 
an  animal,  whose  mental  and  emotional  na- 
ture corresponds  to  and  is  apt  to  be  engrossed 
by  the  interests  and  pleasures  of  the  world. 
The  subject  is  unfolded  largely  by  EUicott's 
"  Destiny  of  the  Creature,"  pp.  99-120,  and  is 
popularly,  yet  satisfactorily,  set  forth  in  Presi- 
dent Hopkins'  "  Strength  and  Beauty,"  p.  176, 
seq.  Perhaps  our  word,  carnal,  would  most 
nearly  express  the  true  meaning.  The  wisdom 
referred  to  is  carnal,  as  it  harmonizes  with 
Uie  depraved  desires  and  affections,  and  pro- 
ceeds from  them.  It  is  carnal,  as  it  arises  in 
the  impulses  of  a  nature  which  has  not  yet 
received  from  the  Spirit  of  God  a  higher  life 
that  apprehends  God,  communes  with  him, 
and  lives  under  the  influence  of  an  unseen 
world.  (I  Thess.  5:  23.)  Conscicncc,  unselfish 
philanthropy  and  faith  lie  beyond  the  sphere 
of  ciirnal  and  secular  wi.sdom.  Further,  this 
wisdom  is  'devilish' — literally,  demoniacal, 
like  that  of  the  unclean  spirits,  who  took  pos- 
session even  of  the  bodies  of  men  in  those 
days.  James  alludes  to  the  demons  more  than 
once  (2:  19),  for  he  himself  had  seen  their  un- 
happy victims.     And  now,  in  the  bickerings. 


the  envies,  the  bitter  conflicts,  the  egotistical 
boastings,  the  crafty  intrigues,  and  the  false 
doctrines  of  those  who  wished  to  be  teachers, 
he  detected  the  demons  in  their  endeavor  to 
take  possession  of  the  body  of  Christ.  The 
Apostle  Paul  instances  some  of  the  doctrines 
of  demons,  by  which  the  faith  and  harmony 
of  the  Gentile  churches  was  assailed,     (i  Tim. 

*:  1-5.) 

Note. — Cremer  (p.  625)  remarks  that  the 
three  predicates — earthly,  sensual,  devilish — 
express  a  logical  sequence  and  enhancement; 
earthly  as  the  fit  antithesis  of  'from  above; ' 
because  earthlj',  therefore  sensual  (icor.  i.t:  is) ; 
therefore  also  destitute  of  the  Spirit :  and  be- 
cause destitute  of  the  Si)irit  actually  opposed 
thereto — that  is,  devilish. 

16,  For  where  envying  and  strife  is, 
there  is  confusion  and  every  evil  work. 
A  confirmation  of  the  judgment  pronounced 
against  the  false  wisdom.  It  is  condemned  by 
its  evil  results.  'Envying  and  strife'  may  be 
rendered,  as  in  ver.  14,  envy  and  party  spirit. 
The  result  of  the  indulgence  of  these  unhal- 
lowed sentiments  is  a  destruction  of  harmony, 
a  society  in  disorder  and  uproar,  a  chaotic 
turbulence,  which  cannot  come  from  God — 
for  God  is  not  the  author  of  confusion,  but  of 
peace,  (icor. u:33.)  Parallel  to  our  text  is 
Prov.  26:  28,  Septuagint,  where  the  original 
for  the  word  "ruin"  is  the  .same  as  that  ren- 
dered by  'confusion'  in  our  text.  A  flatter- 
ing mouth  worketh  "ruin."  There  is  a  tone 
of  contempt  in  the  expression  every  evil,  or 
vile  deed.  It  indicates  something  base  and 
shameful,  as  in  John  3:  20,  involving  distress 
of  conscience  and  scandal  before  the  world. 
As  all  history  proves,  envy  and  partisanship 
have  no  respect  to  moral  considerations.  This 
spirit,  now,  clas!  threatening  the  peace  of  our 
Republic,  once  wrought  the  ruin  of  the  world. 

IT.  The  true  wisdom  is  now  described  as 
to  its  spirit  and  expressions.  What  its  char- 
acter and  value  are  is  implied  in  the  expres- 
sion. That  is  from  above.  It  is  heavenly. 
(prov.2:6.)  "The  Lord  giveth  wisdom." 
Pure.  This  is  the  eminent  characteristic  of 
heavenly  wisdom;  it  is,  first  of  all,  chaste  and 


52 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  III. 


17  But  the  wisdom  that  is  from  above  is  first  pure, 
then  peaceable,  gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreated,  full  oi 
mercy  and  good  iruits,  without  partiality,  and  without 
hypocrisy. 

16  And  the  fruit  of  righteousness  is  sown  in  peace  of 
them  that  make  peace. 


is  from  above  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable,  gentle> 
easy  to  be  intreated,  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits, 
18  without  1  variance,  without  hypocrisy.  And  the 
fruit  of  righteousness  is  sown  in  peace  -ioT  them 
that  make  peace. 


1  Or,  doubt/ulnesa  ;  or,  partiality 2  Or,  by. 


stainless,  free  from  any  kind  of  vice.  (2  cor. 
7:11;  Titus  2:  5)  in  Contrast  with  the  wisdom  that 
is  sensual,  (ver.  is.)  Peaceable.  Peace  fol- 
lows after  purity  here,  as  in  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount.  (Maa. s:  8, 9.)  The  wisdom  that  is 
free  from  vice  and  self-seeking  ever  tends  to 
harmony  and  concord.  The  practical  etfect 
of  this  temper  is  shown  in  the  next  verse, 
which  indicates  that  James  had  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  in  mind.  Compare  Matt.  5:  9. 
Peace  may  well  be  valued  by  believers,  as 
Christ's  special  gilt  (Coi.  1 :  20) ;  as  a  spirit  which 
composes  earth's  discords,  while  it  allies  earth 
with  heaven,  lilentle,  or  mild  and  forbear- 
ing (iTim.  3: 3)j  the  Corresponding  noun  is  ren- 
dered "moderation"  (Pbii.4:5),  "a  readiness 
to  waive  all  rigor  and  severity  "  (Conybeare); 
a  willingness  rather  to  suffer  wrong  than  to 
provoke  or  perpetuate  strife.  Thus  it  is  closely 
connected  with  'peaceable.'  Easy  to  be 
entreated— tractable,  ready  to  yield,  easily 
persuaded  by  advice  and  correction,  perhaps 
also  gaining  its  ends  by  persuasion.  Full  of 
mercy  and  good  fruits — rich  in  the  fruits 
of  love,  for  love  to  man  produces  mercy  (1:27; 
2;  13),  and  love  to  God  is  displayed  in  the 
manifold  activities  of  a  consecrated  life.  The 
good  fruits  are  the  contrast  to  every  vile  deed, 
(ver.  16.)  Without  partiality,  and  without 
hypocrisy  indicate  the  same  qualities  as  the 
previous  phrase,  but  couched  in  a  negative 
form.  The  mercy  of  heavenly  wisdom  is  not 
chilled  by  human  respects,  and  its  good  fruits 
are  not  sacrificed  to  secular  interests,  and  sup- 
planted by  pious  semblances.  Those  whom 
James  addressed  were,  many  of  them,  partial 
in  their  dealings  with  men,  and  hypocritical 
in  their  conduct  toward  God.  These  various 
qualities  here  commended  belong  to  the  truly 
wise;  hence,  they  are  ascribed  to  wisdon) 
itself. 
18.  Only  where  this  heavenly  wisdom  is 


can  the  results  which  Christians  are  appointed 
to  accomplish  be  realized.  The  fruit  of 
righteousness,  not  the  fruit  which  is  right- 
eousness—a genitive  of  apposition  (Huther)— 
but  the  fruit  produced  by  righteousness. 
This  fruit  is  regarded  as  containing  in  itself 
seed,  which  being  planted  produces  a  harvest 
of  a  similar  kind.  Peace  is  the  condition 
upon  which  its  successful  cultivation  de- 
pends. So  that  the  gentle  wisdom,  which  has 
just  been  described,  is  not  only  excellent  in 
itself,  but  is  necessary  for  the  promotion  of 
the  cause  of  truth  and  virtue  on  earth.  Of 
them  that  make  peace — better,  by  those 
who.  The  peacemaker  is  the  successful  sower 
of  the  immortal  seed.  "The  wrath  of  man 
worketh  not  the  righteousness  of  God."  John- 
stone: "  Love  is  the  true  spirit  of  the  herald 
oftheGodof  love."  In  regard  to  this  por- 
traiture of  true  wisdom,  as  compared  with 
Paul's  picture  of  love,  1  Cor.  13,  Plumptre 
remarks:  "Differing  as  the  two  teachers  did, 
in  many  ways,  in  their  modes  of  thought  and 
language,  one  fastening  on  the  more  practical, 
the  other  on  the  more  spiritual  aspects  of  the 
truth,  there  was  an  essential  agreement  in 
their  standard  of  the  highest  form  of  the 
Christian  character.  One  teacher  held  out 
the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  the  other. 
(Gal. 2:9.)  Lovc  is  Wisdom,  and  Wisdom  is 
love."  This  verse  is  in  contrast  with  ver.  16, 
where  the  harvest  sown  by  ambition  and  con- 
tention is  indicated. 

Note. — The  peculiar  form  of  the  Greek 
implies  not  only  that  the  work  is  performed 
by  the  persons  referred  to,  but  that  the  result 
is  to  be  enjoyed  by  them.  The  dative  implies 
possession.  (Winer.)  Angus,  "Ann.  Bib.": 
"Ambition  and  strife  have  their  fruit  (ver.  le) ; 
so  the  work  of  peace  has  righteousness  for  its 
fruit,  'sown'  now,  to  be  enjoyed  forever." 
Compare  Matt.  5 :  9. 


Ch.  IV.] 


JAMES. 


53 


CHAPTER  IV. 


FROM  whence  come  wars  and  fightings  among  you? 
come  they  not  hence,  even  of  your  lusts  that  war  in 
your  members? 


1  Whence  come  wars  and  whence  come    fightings 
among  you  ?  come  they  not  hence,  even  of  your  pleas- 

2  ures  tnat  war  in  your  members?    Ye  lust,  and  have 


2.  Warning  against  the  sway  of  the  passions. 
4:  1-17. 

a.  Evil  consequences  of  the  passions  (ver. 
1-3):  They  engender  strife  (ver.  1);  they  are 
illusive  (ver.  2);  and  they  deprive  prayer  of 
its  efficacy.   (Ver.  3.) 

1.  In  this  chapter,  the  earnest  warnings 
against  the  indulgence  of  selfish  and  carnal 
desires  are  continued.  There  can  be  no  peace 
in  a  nature  or  in  a  community  where  the  pas- 
sions are  unbridled.  From  whence  come 
Avars  and  fightings  among  you?  Omit 
'from';  repeat  'whence'  before  'fightings,' 
and  read,  Whence  come  wars,  whence  fightings  ? 
'Wars'  indicate  a  chronic  state  of  disturb- 
ance, 'fightings,'  the  daily  dissensions  and 
quarrels;  the  two  serve  to  indicate  how  de- 
plorable was  the  condition  of  the  churches 
addressed;  they  were  like  tumultuous  battle- 
fields. The  language  expresses  the  lively 
emotion  of  the  writer.  Notice  the  bold  tran- 
sition from  3:  18,  and  the  question,  'Whence 
and  whence  ?  '  Come  they  not  hence,  even 
of  your  lusts  that  war  in  your  members? 
The  negative  interrogatory  occurs  as  an  an- 
swer in  the  aflSrmative.  'Hence'  designates 
the  thing  meant  as  if  with  outstretched  finger; 
then  follows  the  indication  in  words.  '  Lusts,' 
in  the  original,  pleasures,  used  by  metonymy 
for  the  desires  they  awaken.  (LukeS:  u.)  These 
were  the  cause  of  the  discords  and  strife  pre- 
vailing in  the  churches  ('among  you'),  and 
disturbing  the  peace  of  individual  Christians. 
Their  lusts  were,  as  it  were,  encamped  or 
arranged  for  battle  in  the  members.  They 
availed  themselves  of  every  sense  and  organ, 
as  a  vantage  ground  for  carrying  on  the  war 

against    the    soul      (l  Peter  2:  ll;  Rom.  7:  23;  6:  12,  13), 

and  against  the  peaceful  fellowship  and  bene- 
ficent work  of  believers  in  the  church  rela- 
tion. The  Jews  of  this  age  were  divided  into 
bitter  sects  and  relentless  factions.  The  ac- 
counts given  by  Josephus  of  their  vindictive- 
nessand  blood-thirstiness  and  rapacity  toward 
each  other  seem  well  nigh  incredible.  Even 
the  danger  of  the  extinction  of  their  national- 
ity did  not  serve  to  reconcile  them  ;  but  they 
continued  to  despoil  and  slaughter  each  other 


even  when  the  Roman  battering  rams  were 
thundering  at  the  gates  of  Jerusalem. 

Note. — That  the  passions  are  included 
under  this  general  division,  which  relates 
specifically  to  wrath,  need  awaken  no  sur- 
prise, for  "wrath"  (ipvi)  had  a  similar  scope 
to  that  of  our  word  passion.  It  originally  in- 
dicated any  passionate  emotion  (according  to 
its  root),  any  impulse,  even  that  of  love. 
Hence,  it  occurs  in  the  phrase  "to  turn  one's 
affections  (opyas)  toward  any  one."  Compare 
Tholuck,  "Serm.  on  Mount,"  Matt.  5 :  21,22. 
Historically  and  psychologically  all  the  pas- 
sions are  vitally  connected,  especially  those 
here  referred  to — vindiciiveness  and  voluptu- 
ousness. Suetonius'  "Lives  of  the  Caesars" 
illustrates  this  truth  ;  also  the  story  of  John  of 
Leyden,  the  excesses  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion, and  so  many  other  historic  instances. 
A  word  in  Latin  corresponding  to  the  Greek 
term  (we  refer  to  the  word  ira)  is  used  by 
the  Roman  poets  to  signify  spirit.  Consult 
the  origin,  with  its  twofold  meaning,  of  our 
word  orgies,  whose  relationship  indeed  to 
orge  (wrath)  can  be  seen  at  a  glance.  The 
classical  reader  will  recall  in  this  connection 
the  orgies  of  the  Bacchanalia— the  frightful 
mysteries  of  license  and  murder,  discovered 
and  suppressed  at  Rome.  Livy,  "Hist."  B. 
39,  R  8-19. 

2.  The  sad  consequences  of  these  lusts  are 
now  depicted,  (ver.2,3.)  Ve  lust  and  have 
not.  The  progress  of  sin  from  desire  to  act 
is  here  depicted  in  a  style  similar  to  that  em- 
ployed in  1 :  15.  There,  however,  it  is  de- 
scribed as  producing  death  in  the  trans- 
gressor; here  as  producing  war  in  the  church. 
How  hostility  to  man  arises  from  licentious 
or  covetous  desire  is  illustrated  in  the  history 

of  David,  and  Ahab.     (2  Sam.  11  :  1,  2  ;  1  Kings  21 :  2-4.) 

The  lust  here  is  a  desire  for  worldly  goods 
and  pleasures.  In  these  respects  many  sup- 
posed that  the  people  of  God  ought  to  have 
the  advantage  over  others.  Hence,  they  were 
offended  by  persecutions ;  they  were  obsequi- 
ous to  the  wealthy,  as  persons  whom  God 
favored.  The  rich,  instead  of  helping  the 
poor,  despised  them  ;  and,  instead  of  excrcis- 


54 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  IV. 


2  Ye  lust,  and  have  not:  ye  kill,  and  desire  to  have, 
and  cannot  obtain:  ye  fight  and  war,  yet  ye  have  not, 
because  ye  ask  not. 

3  Ye  ask,  and  receive  not,  because  ye  ask  amiss,  that 
ye  may  consume  it  upon  your  lusts. 

4  Ye  adulterers  and  adulteresses,  know  ye  not  that 


3  not:  ye  kill,  and  i  covet,  and  cannot  obtain  ■  ye  fight 
and  war;  ye  have  not,  because  ye  ask  not  Ye 
ask,  and  receive  not,  because  ye  ask  amiss,  that  ye 

4  may  spend  j7  in  your  pleasures.    Ye  ^adulteresses 


1  Gr.  are  jealous 'ilti'if.U,  who  break  your  marriage  vow  to  God. 


ing  diligence  in  giving,  employed  diligence 
in  gaining  more.  And  the  poor  envied  the 
rich,  and  reproached  them  as  worldlings. 
Yet  in  neither  case  did  the  eager  desire  secure 
the  possession  of  what  it  craved.  Ye  kill, 
and  desire  to  have,  and  cannot  obtain. 
'Kill,'  in  the  sense  of  intense  and  murderous 
hate,  as  in  1  John  3:  15.  Plumptre,  however, 
takes  it  literally,  and  supports  the  interpreta- 
tion by  the  state  of  Jewish  society,  of  which 
Barabbas,  the  bandit,  was  a  type  (Markis:?; 
johuis:  39,40),  the  four  thousand  men  that  were 
murderers  (Acts  2i:38),  and  the  bands  of  zealots 
and  Sicarii  who  were  prominent  in  the  tu- 
mults of  the  final  war  with  Kome.  The 
objection  to  this  view  is  that  such  atrocities 
could  scarcely  have  been  harbored  in  the 
churches  to  which  James  was  writing,  how- 
ever rife  they  might  be  in  Jewish  society. 
But  the  desire  which  awakened  hostility  to 
others,  however  it  might  express  itself  in 
word  or  deed,  failed  of  its  end:  "Ye  kill  and 
covet,  and  cannot  obtain."  Syriac:  "It 
Cometh  not  into  your  hand."  Ye  fight  and 
Avar.  This  is  the  condition  to  which  lust  con- 
signs its  votaries;  it  disappoints  them,  and 
makes  them  mutual  tormentors.  Yet  ye 
have  not,  because  ye  ask  not.  Omit  'yet.' 
The  discontent  that  they  had  arose  from  their 
neglect  of  prayer.  A  contented  and  a  happy 
lot  is  the  gift  of  God.  (Phu.  4:  6, 7.)  Even  for 
earthly  goods  we  are  encouraged  to  pray  by 
the  promises  of  God.  Yet  the  prayer  that 
prevails  with  God  must  be  dictated  by  his 
Spirit,  (ver.  3.)  He  gives  no  audience  to  ha- 
tred, covetousness,  and  envy,  when  these  pas- 
sions even  assume  the  guise  of  the  virtues, 
and  prostrate  themselves  before  the  mercy 
seat. 

3.  Ye  ask,  and  receive  not,  becaus  eye 
ask  amiss.  Here  James  explains  what  he 
had  just  said.  It  was  true  that  the  forms  of 
devotion  were  observed ;  but  these  wicked 
petitions  were  not  entitled  to  the  name  of 
pra3'er.  Hence  they  received  no  answer. 
That  ye  may  consume  it  upon  (Syriac, 
"pamper")  your  lusts.     The  fault  was  not 


in  the  desire  for  temporal  blessings,  for  relief 
and  comfort  in  the  present  life;  but  in  the 
end  for  which  such  blessings  were  sought— to 
pamper  the  appetites  and  passions.  To  con- 
sume (Mark 5:  26)  is  here  uscd  in  a  bad  sense— to 
squander.  Earthly  blessings  may  be  sought 
for  our  own  good,  or  that  of  others;  but  not 
to  satisfy  what  is  lowest  in  our  nature,  and  to 
strengthen  what  was  against  the  soul.  Mon- 
strous as  is  the  thought  that  the  Holy  One 
will  minister  to  our  lusts,  the  hope  is  cher- 
ished by  many  in  every  age.  The  Italian 
bandit  offers  prayer  for  success  in  his  career 
of  villainy,  and  so  does  the  Cornish  wrecker; 
and  in  the  case  of  other  inconsistent  and  re- 
jected worshipers,  the  danger  may  be  the 
greater,  just  because  the  anomaly  is  less  fla- 
grant. But  the  most  singular  of  all  the  per- 
versions of  prayer  was  its  use  by  so  many 
mystical  saints  of  the  Middle  Ages,  to  inflame 
their  sensual  imaginations  with  amorous  rap- 
tures—a profVination  of  the  divine  love  and 
beauty  which  still  prevails  in  the  common 
language  of  the  convent.  Baring  Gould, 
"Origin  and  Development  of  Religion,"  I., 
360-362.  The  language  employed  by  the  most 
eloquent  of  all  the  mystics  ("Vie  de  St. 
Therese,"  XXIX.,  2)  we  dare  not  quote,  al- 
though it  is  cited  with  enthusiasm  by  Balmes' 
"Protestantism  and  Catholicity,"  p.  427. 

b.  Ungodliness  of  the  passions.  Ver.  4-6. 
They  involve  enmity  to  God  (ver.  4);  and 
they  contemn  his  word.     Ver.  5,  6. 

4-6.  James  has  indicated  the  ungodly  na- 
ture of  these  desires  (ver.  4-6),  in  which  the  dis- 
orders of  the  early  churches  originated.  In- 
stead of  Ye  adulterers  and  adulteresses, 
the  best  authorities  read,  "Ye  adulteresses." 
The  word  is  used  in  the  figurative  meaning 
familiar  to  the  Jews,  indicating  aposta.«y  from 

God.  (Ps.  73:  27;  Isa.  57  :  3  seq. ;  Eiek.  23:  27  ;  Hosea2:  2,  4. 
Matt.  12:  39;  16:4;  2  Cor.  11:2;  Key.  2:  4.)        The     USC    Of 

the  feminine  is  not  to  be  explained  by  the 
fact  that  James  was  thinking  of  adulterous 
souls,  whose  unfaithfulness  to  God  was  like 
that  of  a  wife  to  her  husband  ;  or  that  he 
intended    to    stigmatize    them  as  effeminate 


Ch.  IV.] 


JAMES. 


55 


the  friendship  of  the  world  is  enmity  with  God  ?  whoso- 
ever therefore  will  be  a  frieud  of  the  world  is  the  enemy 
of  God.  _,    .         .      _, 

5  Do  ye  think  that  the  scripture  saith  in  vain,  Ihe 
spirit  that  dwelleth  in  us  lusteth  to  envy? 


know  ye  not  that  the  friendship  of  the  world  is 
enmity  with  God?  Whosoever  therefore  would  be 
a  friend   of  the  world  luaketh   himself  an  enemy 

5  of  God.    Or  think  ye  that  the  scripture  '  speaketh 
in  vain?     ^Dolh  the   spirit  which   ^  he  made  to 

6  dwell  in  us  long  unto  envying?     But  he  giveth 


1  Or,  laitk  in  vain 2  Or,  The  spirit  which  he  made  to  dwell  in  us  he  yearneth  for  even  nnto  jealous  envy.    Or,  That  spirit  which  he 

made  to  dwell  in  us  yearneth  for  us  even  unto  jealous  envy 3  Some  ancieut  authoritiea  lead  dwelleth  in  u». 

onism  to  God's  will;  a  heart  set  upon  the 
world  must  be  averse  to  religion.  It  was  pre- 
cisely this  antagonism  between  the  world  and 
God's  kingdom  which  drove  the  apostles  from 
Jerusalem,  and  laid  upon  James  tlie  weighty 
responsibility  of  the  Jerusalem  pastorate. 
^Actsi2:i7.)  Baumgarten's  "Apos.  Hist.,"  ^ 
20.  Instead  of  "  becometh,"  Cremer  trans- 
lates, "takes  the  character  or  condition,  comes 
forward,  appears,"  p.  303.  [There  is  no  arti- 
cle before  the  word  'enemy'  in  the  Greek, 
and  there  seems  to  be  no  good  reason  for 
inserting  it  in  English.  The  meaning  of 
James  may  be  thus  expressed:  'Whosoever 
therefore  makes  it  his  choice  or  pleasure  to  be 
a  friend  of  the  world,  takes  his  position  as  an 
enemy  of  God.' — A.  H.] 

5.  The  spirit  of  the  world  is  condemned  by 
the  express  teachings  of  God   in   his  word. 

(Ver.  5:  6.) 

Do  ye  think  that  the  scripture  saith  (it) 

in  vain— speaks  falsely  or  emptily.  As  this 
form  of  expression  would  seem  to  indicate  a 
quotation,  the  words  immediately  succeeding 
have  been  diligently  sought  for  in  the  Old 
Testament,  but  they  cannot  be  found  there. 
They  are  not  in  Scripture,  nor,  according  to 
our  view,  did  James  intend  to  quote  any  other 
Scripture  than  thatoccurring  inthe  next  verse, 
"God  resisteth  the  proud,  etc."  (Prov.3:34.) 
This  quotation  is  suspended  until  James  in 
his  prompt  and  spirited  way  mentions  and 
answers  an  objection.  The  meaning  will  be 
made  clear  by  repeating  'do  you  think'  be- 
fore the  second  clause  of  the  verse,  as  intro- 
ducing the  opinion  of  a  world-loving  and 
self-excusing  objector.  The  spirit  that 
dwelleth  within  us  (the  better  authorities 
read,  which  he  planted  in  us)  lusteth  to  envy 
(enviously).  Do  you  say  this,  laying  the 
charge  of  your  worldly  rivalries  and  ani- 
mosities and  discontents  upon  your  Creator? 
Do  you  claim  that  an  infirmity  of  nature,  for 
which  you  are  in  no  wise  responsible,  con- 
strains you  to  feel  and  to  live  as  the  world 
does?    The  Holy  Spirit  is  not  intended  here, 


(women  rather  than  men);  but  rather  because 
he  had  in  view  the  churches,  whose  love  of 
the  world  dishonored  God,  and  was  a  breach 
of  the  covenant  they  had  made  with  him. 
[In  supposing  that  James  here  addresses 
churches  instead  of  individuals,  the  author 
agrees  with  several  good  commentators ;  but 
we  fail  to  see  any  valid  reason  for  the  suppo- 
sition. The  preceding  verses  are  evidently 
addressed  to  persons,  rather  than  to  churches 
as  such,  and  if  the  reference  here  is  to  a  turn- 
ing away  from  God  to  the  service  of  sinful 
passions,  it  is  natural  to  suppose  that  the 
writer  has  in  view  men  rather  than  ecclesi- 
astical societies.  That  the  feininine  is  used  is 
due  to  the  fiict  that  Christians,  whether  men  or 
women,  are  conceived  of  as  the  spouse  of  God. 
—A.  H.]  Know  ye  not  that  the  friend- 
ship of  the  world  is  enmity  Avith  God?— 
hetter,  friendship  -with  the  world.  The  world, 
with  its  seductive  objects,  its  ungodly  multi- 
tudes, and  the  principles  by  which  its  course 
is  directed,  is  an  empire  revolted  from  God 
and  under  the  control  of  his  adversary. 
(1  John 2: 15;  5: 19.)  Hcncc,  devotion  to  it  is  in- 
compatible with  allegiance  to  God.  (Matt,  b:  24; 
Luke  16: 13.)  The  idea  of  friendship  with  the 
world  implies  conformity  with  worldly  ex- 
amples, the  pursuit  of  honor  and  riches  as 
supremely  desirable  ends,  and  a  prevailing 
and  paramount  desire  for  the  favor  of  the 
world — a  course  incompatible  with  the  dis- 
charge of  the  duties  due  to  God.  (James  i:  27; 
Rom.  12:2.)  The  text  is  an  allusion. to  Christ's 
declaration  in  Matt.  6:  24.  The  same  doc- 
trine also  inculcates  in  Rom.  8:  7.  Whoso- 
ever therefore  will  be  a  friend  of  the 
world  is  the  enemy  of  God.  A  conclusion 
drawn  from  the  principle  just  asserted.  He 
who  is  ''minded  to  be"  (compare  Matt.  11: 
19),  or  who  "■desires  to  be"  a  friend  of  the 
world  ('will'  here  is  something  more  than  a 
mere  auxiliary),  and  hence  adopts  a  worldly 
policy,  and  cultivates  worldly  fervor  and 
associations;  'becometh^  the  enemy  of  God. 
The  principle  involves  and  necessitates  antag- 


56                                                      JAMES. 

[Ch.  IV. 

6  But  he  giveth  more  grace.    Wherefore  he  saith,         »more  grace. 
God  resisleth  the  proud,  but  giveth  grace  unto  the 
humble. 

Wherefore  the  scripture  saith,  God 

1  Gr.  a  greater  grace. 

and  indeed  is  referred  to  nowhere  in  the 
Epistle,  which  deals  almost  exclusively  with 
Christian  ethics  in  contrast  with  Christian 
theology.  Nor  can  the  idea  of  "envious 
lusting,"  or  longing,  be  properly  associated 
with  the  Spirit  of  all  grace.  Such  a  connec- 
tion is  harsh,  and  without  any  Scriptural 
warrant.  But  there  can  be  no  objection  to 
identifying  the  indwelling  spirit  with  man's 
corrupt  will  (compare  3:  16),  for  which,  how- 
ever, the  worldly-minded  professor  pleads  that 
he  is  not  responsible.  The  last  clause  of  this 
verse  and  the  first  of  the  next  are  thrown  in 
parenthetically.  See  a  similar  example  in 
4:  14,  and  note  on  that  verse. 

Note. — The  only  other  admissible  interpre- 
tation of  this  difficult  passage  is  that  which 
finds  the  Scriptural  quotation  already  given 
in  the  previous  verse  cited  here  without  be- 
ing repeated :  "  Do  ye  think  that  the  Scrip- 
ture saith  this  in  vain  ?  "  Those  whom  James 
addressed  "knew"  from  the  Scripture  (ver. 4) 
that  there  was  opposition  between  God  and 
the  world.  God  had  put  enmity  between  the 
seed  of  woman  and  the  seed  of  the  serpent 
from  the  time  of  the  first  temptation.  (Gen.3:  is.) 
And  the  entire  inspired  history  is  but  a  nar- 
ration of  the  successive  incidents  of  this  an- 
cient, irreconcilable  conflict.  Now  it  finds 
expression  in  the  avowals  of  worshipers,  Ps. 
139:  21,  "Do  not  I  hate  them,  O  Lord,  that 
hate  thee?  and  am  I  not  grieved  with  them 
that  rise  up  against  thee?"  Now  it  is  pro- 
claimed in  the  stern  remonstrances  of  pro- 
phets.       (2  Chron.  19:  2.)        "Shouldst    thoU    help 

the  ungodly  and  love  them  that  hate  the 
Lord  ?  Therefore  is  wrath  upon  thee  from 
the  Lord."  James  may  have  had  reference 
either  to  this  pervasive  doctrine  of  Scripture, 
or  else  to  some  special  text  such  as  those  we 
have  quoted.  If,  as  is  not  unlikely,  Mat- 
thew's Gospel,  which  was  specially  addressed 
to  the  Jews,  was  then  in  circulation  among 
them,  the  reference  may  have  been  directly 
to  our  Lord's  declaration  recorded  there. 
(Matt. 6:  24.)  "  No  man  can  serve  two  masters; 
for  either  he  will  hate  the  one  and  love  the 
other,  or  else  he  will  hold  to  the  one  and  de- 
spise the  other.     Ye   cannot  serve  God  and 


mammon."  This  last  reference,  which  Ben- 
son favors,  fits  the  connection  easily.  In  the 
previous  verse  James  had  alluded  to  the  an- 
tagonism between  the  world  and  God,  as  a 
truth  of  which  his  hearers  had  already  been 
apprised.  Then,  upon  the  present  supposi- 
tion, he  adds:  Do  you  think  that  the  Scrip- 
ture saith  this  falsely?  In  opposition  to  the 
divine  testimony.  Do  ye  argue  that  the  spirit  of 
passionate  envy,  which  disturbs  your  peace  of 
mind  and  your  church  fellowship  (ver.  i),  has 
been  implanted  in  you  by  God,  and  therefore 
cannot  be  contrary  to  his  will?  The  error 
here  advanced  James  had  already  confuted 
(i:  13-18)  by  showing  that  it  is  contradicted  by 
human  experience  and  by  the  divine  perfec- 
tions. Accordingly,  he  contents  himself  now 
with  showing  that  the  infirmity  of  spirit  is 
no  justification  of  envy  and  strife.  He  says: 
God  has  given  you  grace  superior  to  the  lusts 
of  nature;  he  has  made  provision  for  your 
relief  in  spiritual  conflict.  You  have  but  to 
humble  yourselves  before  him,  in  order  to  be 
delivered  from  envy  and  vain  glory  toward 
your  fellows,     (ver.e.) 

[De  Wette  supposes  that  the  word  spirit  (t6 
nveiifia)  here  means  the  Holy  Spirit  who  dwells 
in  the  hearts  of  Christians  and  loves  them 
even  to  envy — that  is,  loves  them  with  such 
ardor  as  to  be  envious,  humanly  speaking,  of 
any  hold  which  the  world  has  on  their  affec- 
tions. He  would  translate  the  passage  thus: 
Or  do  ye  suppose  that  the  Scripture  saith 
(this  in  ver.  4)  in  vain?  Unto  envy  doth  the 
Spirit  which  he  caused  to  dwell  in  tcs  love  (us). 
But  he  giveth  greater  grace  (than  if  he  did 
not  thus  love  us).  I  should  hesitate  to  pro- 
nounce this  an  impossible  sense. — A.  H.] 

6.  But  he  giveth  {the)moTe  grace — Syriac, 
"Superior  grace."  Thus,  almost  in  a  word, 
does  James  crush  the  objection.  Man's  in- 
firmity is  no  excuse  for  his  transgressions,  for 
God  adapts  his  gifts  of  grace  preciselj'  to  the 
needs  of  those  who  require  and  ask  his  succor. 
To  those  whose  need  is  greatest  the  largest 
measure  of  grace  is  given.  Thus  the  way  is 
prepared  for  the  quotation  he  has  promised  ; 
the  connection  requires  that  Avherefore  he 
saith  should  be  rendered  wherefore  it  {the 


Ch.  IV] 


JAMES. 


57 


7  Submit  yourselves  therefore  to  God.  Resist  the 
devil,  and  he  will  tiee  from  you. 

8  Draw  nigh  to  Uod,  and  he  will  draw  nigh  to  you. 
Cleanse  i/oitr  hands,  i/e  sinners;  and  purify  i/ou?" hearts, 
ye  doubieminded. 


resisteth  the  proud,  but  giveth  grace  to  the  humble. 

7  Be  subject  therefore  unto  Uod  ;  but  resist  the  devil, 

8  and  he  will  tiee  Ironi  you.  Draw  nigh  to  (iod,  and 
be  will  draw  uigh  to  you.  Cleanse  your  hands,  ye 
sinners;  and  purify  your  hearts,  ye  doubieminded. 


Scripture)  saith,  which  introduces  the  sus- 
pended quotation.  God  resisteth  the  proud 
but   giveth    grace   to   the   humble.      The 

proud  are  those  who  seek  for  worldly  advance- 
ment and  mind  high  things  (Rom.  i-i:  i6),  and 
who  therefore  shrink  from  the  reproaches  and 
sacrifices  connected  with  fidelity  to  the  gospel. 
But  in  thus  seeking  worldly  gains  and  glories, 
under  whatever  pretext,  they  incur  the  loss 
of  the  divine  favor.  The  humble  are  those 
who,  whatever  may  be  their  earthly  station, 
recognize theirspiritual  weaknessand  poverty, 
and  condescend  to  men  of  low  estate.  They 
cheerfully  assume  the  cross  of  Christ,  and 
trustfully  rely  upon  God  for  strength  and 
wisdom.  And  to  these  the  grace  they  need  is 
given.  We  may  judge  that  this  te.xt  was  a 
favorite  one  among  the  early  believers  from 
its  being  quoted  by  Peter  as  well  as  James. 

(l  Peter  5:  5.) 

c.  Means  of  overcoming  the  passions.  Ver. 
7-10. 

7-10.  The  practical  conclusion  follows. 
The  submission  to  God  is  all  that  is  needed 
to  relieve  the  infirmities  of  nature,  and  to 
give  victory  in  the  sorest  spiritual  conflicts. 
The  appeal  is  not  to  the  proud  (ver.  6)  only 
(Huther),  but  to  all.  Nor  is  the  submission 
that  of  obedience  onlj-,  but  rather  of  depend- 
ence and  truJt.  They  who  put  themselves 
under  God's  care  and  government  will  find 
mercy  and  grace  for  everyday  of  need.  (But) 
Resist  the  devil  and  he  will  flee  from 
yon.  [The  word  'but"  should  be  inserted 
before  "resist,"  according  to  the  best  editors 
and  the  earliest  MSS.  X  A  B.— A.  H.]  You 
need  fear  nothing  from  the  enmity  of  the 
world,  not  even  if  it  be  impersonated  in  its 
prince.  To  resist  God  is  ungrateful  and  re- 
bellious folly ;  to  oppose  each  other  is  to  turn 
the  Christian  household  into  an  arena  of 
painful  and  inglorious  strife.  If  you  would 
show  your  manhood,  arm  yourselves  against 
the  devil,  the  author  of  all  evil  desires,  espe- 
cially of  that  presumption  through  which  he 
himself  fell,  and  to  which  he  now  tempts,  in 
order  that  he  may  destroy  you.  If  you  must 
fight,  if  you  a.e|>ire  to  glory,  choose  a  foeman 
worthy  of  the  steel ;  fight  Satan,  the  malig- 


nant enemy  of  God  and  man.  There  may  be, 
as  Plumptre  suggests,  an  indirect  reference 
here  to  the  history  of  our  Lord's  temptation. 
As  Christ  was  prepared  by  gifts  of  the  Spirii 
for  that  dread  encounter,  so  the  tempted  be- 
liever may  be  assured  that  God  will  impart 
all  the  grace  he  needs  (ver.  e)  for  success  in  his 
spiritual  conflicts.  In  this  passage  James 
gives  an  additional  proof  of  the  truth  of  the 
principle  laid  down  in  1:  14.  As  God  is  not 
the  Author  of  sin  (i:  i3),  neither  on  the  other 
hand  can  Satan  betray  into  sin  without  the 
consent  of  the  human  will.  Man's  moral 
nature,  when  submissive  to  the  control  and 
guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  unconquerable 
by  all  the  arts  and  arms  of  hell.  The  right 
of  direct  appeal  to  God's  word  and  his  throne 
for  grace  and  guidance  (misnamed  the  right 
of  private  judgment)  is  clearly  implied  in  the 
passage. 

8.  To  the  last  admonition  succeeds  another, 
which  also  has  a  promise  connected  with  it. 
Draw  nigh  to  God,  and  he  will  draw  nigh 
to  you.  God's  fellowship  is  sought  by  re- 
pentance, faith,  and  prayer.  Drawing  nigh 
to  God  indicates  a  trustful  and  habitual  resort 
to  God  amid  life's  trials  and  temptations,  and 
pledges  divine  help  to  those  who  thus  ap- 
proach him.  The  verb  occurs  in  Hosea  12:  6, 
"Wait  on  "  thy  God  continually.  A  similar 
lesson  is  given  in  2  Chron.  15:  2;  Isa.  57:  15; 
Zech.  1:3.  It  is  not  the  same  as  "walking 
with  God,"  like  Enoch  (Gen. 5:24),  although 
he  who  draws  nigh  unto  God  will  also  walk 
with  him,  and  show  in  character  and  life  the 
eff"ect  of  so  high  an  association.  Cleanse 
your  hands,  ye  sinners,  and  purify  your 
hearts,  ye  doubieminded.  This  is  added 
to  show  that  something  more  than  acts  of  de- 
votion are  necessary;  the  conduct  must  cor- 
respond to  *he  profession.  Nor  did  the  cere- 
monial ablutions  of  the  Pharisees  suffice. 
Even  the  heathen  Seneca  knew  that  "no  sea, 
no  rivers  can  cleanse  the  right  hand  stained 
with  crime  and  blood."  The  'sinners'  who 
were  serving  the  lusts  of  the  world  (ver.  4) 
must  cease  to  do  evil  and  learn  to  do  good. 
{p».n:i.)  The  doubieminded  (1:8;  Syriac, 
"divided  in  mind  "j,  who,  while  they  wav- 


58 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  IV. 


9  Be  afflicted,  and  mourn,  and  weep:  let  your  laughter 
be  turned  to  mourning,  and  your  joy  to  heaviness. 

10  Humble  yourselves  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and 
be  shall  lift  you  up. 


9  Be  afflicted,  and  mourn,  and  weep  ;  let  your  laughter 
be  turned  to  mourning,  and  your  joy  to  heaviness. 
10  Humble  yourselves  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  he 
shall  exalt  you. 


ered,  showed  that  their  hearts  rather  belonged 
to  the  world  than  to  God,  must  submit  their 
hearts  to  the  influence  of  a  Divine  Spirit,  and 
cultivate  unfeigned  love  for  the  brethren. 
(1  Peter  1:  22.)  True  piety  is  cliastity  of  spirit; 
in  its  inner  sanctuary  God  alone  is  shrined. 
The  best  comment  on  this  passage  is  found  in 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  where  our  Lord 
condemns  the  double-mindedness  of  the  Phar- 
isees. (Matt.  6: 19-34.)  "  They  professed  to  have 
their  hearts  set  on  heaven,  while  yet  they 
were  engaged  in  laying  up  for  themselves 
treasures  on  earth.  But  where  the  treasure 
is,  there  will  the  heart  be  also.  (ver.  19-21.) 
Their  eye  was  not  single  in  its  aim,  and 
therefore  their  spiritual  vision  was  clouded 
and  obscure,  (ver.  22, 23.)  They  attempted  to 
reconcile  the  incompatible  services  of  two 
opposite  masters — God  and  Mammon,  (ver.  24.) 
They  were  cumbered  and  anxious  about  the 
things  of  this  world,  instead  of  seeking  as 
their  first  and  great  concern  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  his  righteousness  with  the  simple 
faith  that  all  other  things  necessarj'  would 
be  added  unto  them."  (ver.  25-34.)  (Forbes' 
"Scripture  Parallelism,"  217,  218.)  [The 
brevity  of  the  original  is  very  spirited,  viz.: 
^^ Cleanse  hands,  sinners;  purify  hearts,  dou- 
ble-minded"; or  supplying  ye:  ''Cleanse 
hands,  ye  sinners;  purify  hearts,  ye  dotible- 
minded." — A.  H.] 

9.  Kepentance  is  the  way  of  return  to  God. 
This  sorrow  for  sin  is  described  and  empha- 
sized by  three  words.  Be  afflicted — spoken 
primarily  of  bearing  external  trouble,  here 
for  the  sense  of  distress,  as  in  Rom.  7:  24: 
"O  wretched  man  that  I  am."  It  is  incor- 
rectly referred  by  Grotius  to  bodily  austeri- 
ties, which  in  themselves  have  no  religious 
value.  Mourn  and  Aveep.  These  words  are 
frequently  found  together,  as  in  Neh.  8:9; 
Mark  16:10.  The  Jews  rent  their  garments, 
and  used  sackcloth  and  ashes  in  sign  of 
mourning;  and  tears  express  grief  in  all  ages 
and  among  all  peoples.  Here,  as  in  the  texts 
to  which  allusion  is  made  (Luke 6: 21,25),  the 
sign  is  employed  for  the  thing  signified.  Let 
your  laughter  be  turned  to  mourning, 
and  your  joy  to  heaviness.     Let  the  con- 


sciousness of  your  eternal  wretchedness  eclipse 
the  joys  which  life's  seeming  prosperities  awa- 
ken, and  tlius  work  repentance  and  salvation. 
(2  Cor.  7:10.)  The  external  change  from  laugh- 
ter to  mourning  is  a  figure  for  the  change  of 
feeling,  as  the  last  clause  shows.  Heaviness 
— dejection,  such  as  is  shown  in  casting  down 
the  eyes  in  shame.  The  worldly  pleasures 
they  had  sought  for  and  enjoyed  should  pro- 
duce a  sense  of  shame  and  deep  distress  before 
God.  (Prov.  10:  23.)  The  passage  recalls  the 
figure  of  the  Publican  (Luke  is :  13),  who  "would 
not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  unto  heaven" 
— not,  indeed,  to  commend  the  attitude,  but 
the  penitential  sorrow  it  expressed.  In  the 
second  half  of  the  verse  is  exhibited  the  par- 
allelism of  members,  the  well-known  peculi- 
arity of  Hebrew  poetry,  which  occurs  also  in 
the  New  Testament  when  the  style  rises  to  the 
elevation  of  rhythm.  The  parallelism  is 
sometimes  synonymous  as  here,  and  some- 
times antithetic.  (Winer.)  The  species  of 
parallelism  occurring  here  is  also  known  as 
gradational ;  it  is  described  by  Forbes,  "  Sym- 
metrical Structure  of  Scriptures,"  pp.  5-17. 

10.  Conclusion  of  the  exhortation,  based 
upon  the  assurance  of  ver.  6.  Humble 
yourselves  in  the  sight  of  the  L.ord.  This 
passage  resembles,  but  is  not  parallel  to  1  Peter 
5:  6,  which  indeed  is  founded  upon  the  same 
text  (Prov.  3:34),  but  applies  it  to  submission 
under  affliction.  Here  James  enjoins  self- 
humiliation  in  the  presence  of  the  omniscient 
and  offended  Lord.  The  son  of  Sirach  says  : 
"Those  who  fear  the  Lord  will  humble  their 
souls  before  him."  (2:  n.)  And  he  shall 
lift  you  up — better,  and  he  loill  exalt  you. 
An  allusion  to  our  Lord's  words  in  Matt.  23: 
12;  Luke  14:  11.  Yet  this  contrast  often 
occurs  elsewhere,  as  Job  5:  11;  Isa.  57:  15; 
Ezek.  21 :  26.  The  promise  relates  as  well  to 
the  present  hidden,  as  to  the  future  revealed, 
glorj'  of  the  humble  Christian.  (Huther.  1 
The  humble  sinner  receives  the  divine  favor, 
and  enjoys  the  happiness  arising  from  the 
divine  fellowship.  "The  degraded  worldling 
is  'lifted  up'  to  a  sphere  of  elevated  thoughts 
and  sublimer  pursuits.  The  mourning  peni- 
tent is  'lifted  up'  to  the  heights  of  a  pure, 


Ch.  IV.] 


JAMES. 


59 


11  Speak  not  evil  one  of  another,  brethren.  He  that 
speakbth  evil  of  his  brother,  and  judgeth  his  brother, 
speaketh  evil  of  the  law,  and  judgeth  the  law :  but  if 
thou  judge  the  law,  thou  art  not  a  doer  of  the  law,  but 
a  judge. 

12  There  is  one  lawgiver,  who  is  able  to  save  and  to 
destroy:  who  art  thou  that  judgest  another? 


11  Speak  not  one  against  another,  brethren.  He  that 
speaketh  against  a  brother,  or  judgeth  bis  brother, 
speaketh  against  the  law,  and  judgeth  the  law:  but 
if  thou  judgest  the  law,  thou  art  not  a  duer  of  the 

12  law,  but  a  judge.  One  on/i/  is  the  lawgiver  and 
judge,  even  he  who  is  able  to  save  and  to  destroy  : 
but  who  art  thou  that  judgest  thy  neighbour? 


celestial  happine.«s.  The  slave  of  Satan  is 
'lifted  up'  to  those  heavenly  places  in  which 
the  King  of  Glory  sits  with  his  servants,  and 
calls  them  friends."  Patterson,  "Expos." 
Compare  Matt.  5:  3,  4. 

d.  James  urges  (ver.  11-17)  a  warning 
against  the  passions  on  account  of  the  pre- 
sumption they  inspire  in  our  estimates  (ver. 
11,  12),  and  in  our  projects  in  secular  life. 
Ver.  13-17. 

11.  Speak  not  evil  one  of  another — bet- 
ter, Speak  not  against  one  another.  (So  the 
Syriac.)  This  admonition  is  connected  with 
the  preceding  by  the  principle  that  humility 
before  God  carries  with  it  lowliness  toward 
his  children.  The  frequent  returns  of  the 
writer  to  this  subject  show  that  he  is  dealing 
with  "the  ever-besetting  sin  of  his  time  and 
people."  The  sin  condemned  is  calumnj', 
which  magnifies  the  faults  and  depreciates 
the  virtues  and  character  of  others.  The  un- 
naturalness  of  the  sin  is  already  indicated  by 
the  relationship  tliat  Christians  bear  to  each 
other.  They  are  brethren,  the  children  of 
the  same  Father,  and  should  take  no  part  in 
Satan's  work  of  backbiting.  (Kev.  I'i:  lo.)  He 
that  speaketh  evil  of  his  brother  (the 
passage  must  be  rendered,  speaketh  against 
his  brother),  and  (or)  judgeth  his  brother, 
speaketh  against  the  law,  and  judgeth 
the  law.  Speaking  and  judging  are  nearly 
synonymous;  but  the  speaking  presupposes 
the  judgment.  Calumny  against  a  brother  is 
evil  in  its  source  before  it  flows  out  into 
speech.  Calumny  is  a  violation  of  the  law  of 
love,  which  it  condemns  as  of  no  authority, 
or  as  not  founded  upon  right.  It  is  more  par- 
ticularly an  express  violation  of  the  law  of 
Christ,  who  forbids  the  unkind  judgments 
that  prevail  in  common  life.  (Matt.7:i.)  But 
if  thou  judge  the  law,  thou  art  not  a 
doer  of  the  law,  but  a  judge.  The  calum- 
niator thus  leaves  the  position  which  becomes 
him,  as  a  subject  of  law.  The  law  is  promul- 
gated, not  that  he  may  judge  it,  but  that  it 
niaj' judge  him.  He  is  required  to  do  it.  But 
instead  of  rendering  it  a  loyal  obedience,  he 


makes  himself  a  judge,  and  promulgates  a 
law  by  which  his  neighbor  is  condemned  or 
absolved — a  criminal  presumption,  as  James 
now  proceeds  to  show.  Perliaps  it  may  even 
be  found  that  the  law  of  God  permits  what 
the  censorious  professor  condemns,  in  which 
case  his  condemnation  of  a  brother  condemns 
the  law  which  absolves  him,  and  directly 
impugns  the  wisdom  and  holiness  of  the 
Heavenly  Lawgiver. 

12.  There  is  one  lawgiver  who  is  able 
to  save  and  destroy.  Tischendorf  adds  the 
words,  "and  judge,"  after  lawgiver;  so  also 
the  S^'riac  [with  X  A  B  P,  Coptic,  Ethiopia 
Versions. — A.  H.]  The  text  is  more  forcible 
in  the  original  than  in  our  Version ;  it  may 
be  rendered,  One  is  the  laiogiver  ayid  judge, 
he  loho  is  able,  etc.  (Rom.  i4:4.)  The  judg- 
ment which  discriminates  the  characters  and 
seals  the  destinies  of  men  belongs  only  to 
him  who  has  given  the  law.  Compare  1  Cor. 
4:  3-5.  Besides  a  law  is  of  no  avail  unless  it 
have  its  sanctions;  hence  our  sentence  is  idle, 
for  we  cannot  execute  it.  The  law  has  no 
efficacj'  unless  ndministered  by  an  Almighty 
and  Eternal  Judge  (wa".  lo:  28),  "  who  is  able  to 
destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell."  Who 
art  thou  that  judgest  another?  The  same 
rebuke  in  the  same  form  is  administered  by 
Paul  in  Kom.  14:  4.  Instead  of  a?ioMer  read 
a  neighbor  (so  in  the  Syriac),  without  the  per- 
sonal pronoun,  as  Mark  12:  33;  Rom.  13:  10. 
The  insignificance  of  the  man  is  shown  by 
contrasting  him  with  the  One  Lawgiver  and 
Judge  of  all.  The  standards  of  right  among 
men  vary ;  they  know  little  of  the  law,  and 
less  of  the  hearts  of  others,  and  they  are 
themselves  the  transgressors  of  law.  When 
such  beinrs  undertake  "to  judge  of  motives 
and  character  without  tangible  and  most  con- 
vincing evidence,"  and  on  this  ground  pro- 
nounce unfavorable  judgments  against  each 
other,  they  arrogate  to  themselves  a  wisdom, 
holiness,  and  power  to  which  they  have  not 
the  shadow  of  a  claim.  [Davidson's  transla- 
tion of  ver.  11  and  12  represents  the  Greek 
text,  in   so  far  as  the  definite  article  is  con- 


60 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  IV. 


13  Go  to  now,  ye  that  say,  To  day  or  to  morrow  we 
will  go  into  such  a  city,  and  continue  there  a  year,  aud 
buy  and  sell,  and  get  gaii. : 

•  14  Whereas  ye  know  not  viha.t  shall  be  on  the  morrow. 
For  what  is  your  life  ?  It  is  even  a  vapour,  that  ap- 
peareth  lor  a  little  time,  and  then  vanisheth  away. 


13  Go  to  now,  ye  that  say,  to-day  or  to-morrow  we 
will  go  into  this  city,  and  spend  a  year  there,  and 

14  trade,  aud  get  again;  whereas  ye  know  not  what 
shall  be  on  the  morrow.  What  is  your  life?  For 
ye  are   a  vapour,  that  appeareth  for  a  little  time, 


cerned,  correctlj'.  "Speak  not  against  one 
another,  brethren.  He  that  speaketh  against 
a  brother  or  judgeth  his  (literally  the) 
brother,  speaketh  againbt  law  and  judgeth 
law;  but  if  thou  judgest  law,  thou  art  not  a 
doer  of  law,  but  a  judge.  One  is  the  lawgiver 
and  judge,  who  is  able  to  save  and  to  destroy  ; 
but  who  art  thou  that  judgest  thy  (literally 
the)  neighbor?''— A.  H.] 

13.  Now  is  shown  the  folly  of  the  carnal 
desires  and  secular  plans  which  lead  us  to 
forget  our  dependence  upon  God.  (ver.  13-17.) 
Go  to  now,  ye  that  say — better.  Come 
now,  etc.,  awakening  attention.  Here  the 
imperative  is  used  as  an  interjection  as  in 
g  1  a  call  to  many,  to  whom  the  discourse 
now  turns.  The  jiersons  whom  James  ad- 
dresses are  worldlings,  whether  unconverted 
members  of  the  Christian  community,  or 
aliens  who  persecuted  the  brotherhood  and 
blasphemed  the  name  of  Christ.  (2:  7-)  There 
is  no  reason  to  restrict  the  warning  to  either 
of  these  classes  specifically.  The  writer  ad- 
dresses those  who  are  the  votaries  of  the 
world,  and  who  will  continue  in  its  service 
notwithstanding  his  admonition.  Hence  his 
severity.  Our  Lord  addressed  the  same  class 
in  the  parable  of  the  rich  fool.  (Luke  12:  16,  seq.) 
The  same  tone  of  contemptuous  indignation 
which  appears  in  the  parable  (ver.  20)  is  here 
manifest.  To-day  or  to-morrow  we  will 
go  into  such  a  city,  and  continue  there 
a  year,  and  buy  and  sell,  and  get  gain. 
Some  manuscripts  have  "  to-day  and  to-mor- 
row." This  reading,  which,  however,  is  proba- 
bly incorrect,  would  indicate  a  two-days' 
journey.  'Such  a  city'  indicates  some  defi- 
nite city  to  which  the  traveler  proposes  to 
journey.  Instead  of  'continue  there  a  year,' 
etc.,  read,  spend  there  a  year,  etc.  The  lan- 
guage describes  the  spirit  of  "the  strangers 
of  the  Dispersion"  then  and  now;  and  also 
expresses  the  confidence  with  which  those 
whom  James  had  in  view  anticipated  the  fu- 
ture. The  aim  of  these  journeys  and  busi- 
ness adventures  was  to  get  gain,  which 
worldly  men  regard  as  true  success  in  life. 
They  turn    this    scene  of   probation  into  a 


market,  as  once  the  sacred  precincts  of  the 
temple  were  invaded  for  the  sale  of  oxen  and 
sheep  and  doves.  And  the  calculations  of  the 
future  are  made  without  any  thought  of  God, 
or  any  apprehension  of  death.  The  repetition 
of  the  'ands'  well  expresses  their  presumpt- 
uous confidence.  A  large  class  of  Oriental 
merchants  are  peddlers,  restlessly  adven- 
turing from  city  to  city  in  pursuit  of  gain. 
See  "Arabian  Nights,"  passim,  and  Bush's 
"  Hlustrations  "  on  James  4:  13.  As  for  the 
Jews,  they  were  widely  distributed  over  the 
Roman  Empire  at  the  date  of  our  Epistle. 
Strabo  said:  "Already  a  Jewish  population 
has  entered  everj'  city."  The  Jews  occupied 
two  of  the  five  wards  of  the  great  commercial 
city  of  Alexandria.  They  had  seven  syna- 
gogues in  Rome.  They  were  in  North  Africa, 
and  had  penetrated  to  the  banks  of  the 
Danube  and  to  the  remote  coasts  of  Spain 
and  Britain.  And  everywhere  they  were 
busily  engaged  in  trade.  Uhlhorn,  "Con- 
flict of  Christianity,"  pp.  83,  84.  Alzog 
("Eccl.  Hist.,"  §29)  indicates  the  commer- 
cial spirit  as  an  active  cause  of  the  Jewish 
Di-spersion  from  the  great  metropolitan  centre 
of  Alexandria,  where  the  Macedonian  con- 
queror had  permitted  a  Jewish  colony  to 
settle. 

14.  This  verse  is  a  parenthesis,  interrupting 
for  a  moment  the  progress  of  the  discourse. 
The  writers  of  the  epistles  employ  parentheses 
to  express  sometimes  a  limitation,  sometimes 
a  corroboration,  sometimes  a  reason  or  more 
precise  explanation,  as  here.  (Winer.) 
Whereas  ye  know  not  what  shall  be  on 
the  morrow.  Carnal  security  should  be  dis- 
turbed by  the  uncertainty  of  the  future. 
(proT. 27:  I.)  "Boast  not  thyself  of  to-morrow; 
for  thou  knowest  not  what  a  day  may  bring 
forth."  Not  careless  presumption,  but  trust 
in  a  wise  and  merciful  Providence,  relieves 
the  anxieties  of  life.  (Mau.6:34.)  Instead  of 
'  whereas  ye,'  read  ye  who,  which  is  the  literal 
translation,  and  brings  out  the  parenthetic 
character  of  the  verse.  For  what  is  your 
life?  It  is  even  a  vapor  (literally, /o?- ye 
are  a  vapor)  that  appeareth   for  a  little 


Ch.  IV.] 


JAMES. 


&l 


15  For  that  ye  out/ht  to  say,  If  the  Lord  will,  we  shall 
live,  and  do  this,  or  that. 

IG  But  now  ye  rejoice  iu  your  boastings:  all  such  re- 
joicina  is  evil.  ,    .      ,  j        j 

17  Therefore  to  hiiu  that  knoweth  to  do  good,  and 
doeth  it  not,  to  him  it  is  sin. 


15  and  then  vanisheth  awwy.    ^For  that  ye  ought  to 

say.  If  the  Lord  will,  we  shall  both   live,  and  do 

IG  tins  or  that.     IJut  now  ye  glory  in  your  vauntings: 

17  all   such   glorying  is  evil.    To   him   therelore  who 

knoweth  to  do  good,  and  doeth  it  not,  to  him  it  is 

sin. 


1  Gr.  Instead  of  your  saying. 


time  and  then  vanisheth  away.    Even  life 
is   uncertain.     No  one  can   tell   whether  he 
will  be  alive  on  the  morrow.     The  question 
means,  Of  what  character  is  your  life,  imply- 
ing its  nothingness?     Compare  1  Peter  2:  20. 
"  What  glory  is  it?  "     This  suggestion  of  the 
vanity  of  life  is  confirmed  by  a  fan.iliar  figure 
(Job 7:  7;  Ps.  102: 3),   to  which  the  connection  of 
the  life  with  the  breath  gives  a  striking  appro- 
priateness.    In  cold  air  the  breath  becomes 
visible  in  the  form  of  vapor  which  soon  dis- 
appears.    The    correct    reading,    "Fe  are  a 
vapor,"  gives  peculiar  strength  to  the  figure. 
The  warning  is   specially  applicable  in  the 
case  of   the    traveler   (ver.is),   to  whom   the 
vehicle  or  vessel  in  which  he  sets  forth  may 
prove  his  cotRn:  and  the  refreshment  on  the 
way  maj'  work  as  poison,  and  prostrate  him 
before  he  reaches  his  place  of  destination. 
15.  For  that  ye  ought  to  say— literally, 
instead  of  saying.     The  previous  verse  shows 
the  folly  of  such  expressions  as  are  given  in 
ver.  13.     Now  James  shows  how  we  should 
speak  in  regard  to  the  future.     If  the  Lord 
will,  we  shall  live,  and  do  this  or  that- 
read,  we  shall  both  live,  etc.     Not  only  the 
doing,  but  also  the  living,  as  the  condition  of 
doing,  depends  upon  the  will  of  God.     To  the 
Lord  there  is  nothing  uncertain  or  uncontrol- 
lable  in   the  future.     And  his    people   may 
therefore  commit  themselves  trustfully  to  his 
guardianship,  knowing  that  the  wise,  mighty, 
and  loving  "Will  which  sways  all  times  and 
seasons  is  enlisted  in  their  behalf;  and  cling- 
ing to  the  divine  assurance   that  all   things 
shall  work  together  for  their  good.    The  pious 
expression  of  our  text  became  common  among 
Christians.     Paul    wrote   to   the   Corinthians 
(1. 4 :  19)  :   "I  will  come  to  you  shortly,  if  the 
Lord  will."     And  the  formula  still  retains  its 
place  in  the  familiar  speech  of  Christendom. 
When   it  is  not  uttered  in  connection  with 
our  purposes  for  the  future,  and  it  need  not 
always  be  (compare  1   Cor.  Ifi:  5),  its  spirit 
should  always  be  retained— the  sense  of  de- 
pendence upon  God  for  life  and  for  success  in 
all  its  legitimate  enterprises.  (Luke  12: 29,30.) 


16.  A  contrast  to  the  spirit  and  conduct 
just  described  and  commended.  But  now 
indicates  how  the  case  really  stands.  Ye 
rejoice  in  your  boastings— better,  Ye  boast 
in  your  vainglory — that  is,  in  the  impious 
and  vain  arrogance  which  trusts  in  the  stabil- 
ity of  earthly  things.  This  is  the  sphere  or 
state  in  which  the  boasting  takes  place.  The 
plural  forin  of  the  noun  cannot  be  given 
without  awkwardness  in  English.  It  indi- 
cates the  various  degrees  of  vainglory,  and 
perhaps  also  may  suggest  the  various  occa- 
sions or  modes  in  which  it  betrays  itself.  The 
persons  referred  to  were  animated  by  vain- 
glory, which  their  presumptuous  speech  re- 
vealed.   (Ver.  13;  Prov.  27  :  1.)     All  SUCh  rejoiciug 

is  evil— 'all  such  boasting.'  Thus  the  con- 
demnation, already  implied  in  the  contrast, 
finds  expression.  There  is  a  boasting  that  is 
reasonable  and  good,  like  that  of  Paul  in 
Christ  Jesus  (Phii.3:3),  and  in  his  cross  (Gai. 
6:  14) ;  or  evcu  in  the  infirmities  which  afforded 
an  occasion  for  the  display  of  God's  saving 
power.  (2Cor.i2:9.)  But  the  boastings  of  the 
vainglorious  are  unhallowed  in  their  source, 
are  false  in  their  grounds,  and  are  pernicious 
in  their  results.  Wherefore,  let  him  "that 
glorieth,  glory  in  the  Lord."   (2Cor.  lO:  n.) 

17.  Therefore  to  him  that  knoAveth  to 
do  good  and  doeth  it  not,  to  him  it  is 
sin.  The  general  law  of  conscience  is  here 
asserted;  but  in  such  a  way  as  to  emphasize 
the  condemnatory  sentence  just  uttered,  and 
also  to  indicate  that  the  principle  has  a  special 
application  here.  The  idea  is  that  where  the 
"  becoming"  in  morals  is  known,  the  neglect 
of  it  is  the  actual  doing  of  evil.  In  such  a 
case  positive  guilt  is  incurred.  (John  is:  22;  Luke 
12 :  47, 48.)  God  Will  hold  him  gravely  responsi- 
ble who  has  held  his  truth  captive  in  un- 
righteousness. (Rom.  1:18.)  Hcncc  thosewho 
know  the  insecurity  of  life  and  the  uncer- 
tainty of  the  future,  and  yet  repudiate  the 
facts  of  their  condition,  and  their  dependence 
upon  God,  in  their  far-reaching  and  pre- 
sumptuous calculations,  act  inconsistently 
and  unbecomingly  :  contradict  their  own  con- 


62 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  V. 


CHAPTER  V. 


GO  to  now,  ye  rich  men,  weep  and  howl  for  your 
miseries  lliat  shall  come  upon  you. 
2  Your  riches  are  corrupted,  and  your  garments  are 
moth-eaten. 


1  Go  to  now,  ye   rich,  weep  and  howl  for   your 

2  miseries  that  are  coming  upon  you.      Your  riches 
are  corrupted,  and  your  garments  are  moth-eaten. 


victions;  and  sin  the  more  grievously',  be- 
cause they  sin  against  familiar  knowledge. 
But  the  principle  also  enforces  all  the  moral 
lessons  upon  which  the  writer  has  been  insist- 
ing, and  thus  prepares  his  readers  for  the  re- 
capitulation of  the  subjects  discussed,  and  the 
concluding  of  the  Epistle.  Alford:  "There- 
fore we  see  in  this  example  the  truth  of  the 
general  axiom,"  etc. 


Conclusion. — Duties  of  the  tempted  and 
tried  recapitulated  and  reinforced.     5 :  1-20. 

1.  1-11.  Swift  to  hear  the  revelations  of  the 
word;  in  regard  to  prosperous  wickedness 
(ver.  1-6);  and  afflicted  piety.     Ver.  7-11. 

1.  Here  the  conclusion  of  the  Epistle  begins, 
recapitulating  and  enforcing  the  duties  of  the 
tempted  and  tried.  In  the  first  section  (ver.  i-u) 
the  writer  exhibits  the  end  of  those  complica- 
tions which  disturbed  the  trust  of  the  early 
believers  in  the  providence  of  God,  and  made 
them  slow  to  receive  the  assurances  of  the 
word.  He  indicates,  therefore,  the  future  of 
prosperous  wickedness  (ver.  i-e),  and  of  afflicted 
pietj'.  (Ver.  7-11.)  Yet  there  is  no  break  in 
the  discourse:  having  shown  that  worldly 
greed  is  impious  and  evil,  he  now  considers 
its  present  workings  and  its  final  result.  Go 
to  now.  This  phrase,  which  is  now  obsolete, 
should  read  covie  7iow.  It  is  a  call  to  atten- 
tion, indicating  that  something  important 
and  urgent  is  to  be  said.  Here  it  introduces 
a  prophetic  denunciation.  Ye  rich  men.  In 
the  original,  we  have  the  nominative  with  the 
article,  which  is  allowable  in  calling  and  com- 
manding. The  persons  addressed  are  persons 
without  the  Christian  pale.  They  are  not 
only  persons  possessed  of  wealth,  but  also 
idolatrous  of  it,  as  the  connection  shows. 
(Luke6:24.)  They  have  secured  that  which 
their  hearts  chiefly  value,  and  which  they 
deem  the  source  of  happiness  and  the  groat 
aim  of  life.  And  they  abuse  it.  (ver. 4.6.) 
Weep  and  howl  for  your  miseries  that 
shall  come  upon  you — literally,  weep,  wail- 
ing for  yottr  miseries  that  are  coming.  This 
is  not  a  call  to  repentance,  like  4:  9,  but  an 
animated  proclamation   of  judgment.      The 


implication  is  that  the  persons  addressed 
would  pursue  their  evil  course,  and  reap  the 
destructive  consequences.  However  prosper- 
ous they  seem,  they  must  soon  weep  and  wail, 
for  their  reverses  and  ruin  are  near  at  hand. 
And  the  sorrow  should  have  no  solace,  be- 
cause produced  by  a  divine  judgment.  (isa.i3:6.) 
The  miseries  are  those  attendant  upon  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  ( Luke  19 :  43, 44),  and 
also  upon  the  final  judgment.  The  two  events, 
of  which  the  former  was  the  symbol  and  the 
pledge  of  the  latter,  are  grouped  together  by 
James.  The  cares  and  anxieties  which  wealth 
brings  with  it  are  left  out  of  sight,  as  un- 
worthy of  attention  in  view  of  the  threaten- 
ing calamities. 

2.  The  coming  judgment  is  figuratively  de- 
scribed. The  wealth  of  the  Orientals  consisted 
mainly  in  coin  and  clothing.  See  Acts  20:  33. 
They  trafficked  in  costly  garments,  or  kept 
them  for  ostentation.  (Kzra2: 69;Neh.  7: 70.)  Their 
riches  were  peculiarly  insecure  and  perish- 
able; they  might  even  be  "consumed  before 

the    moth."         (jublS:  28;  Isa.  5O:  9;  5I:  8;  Matt.  6:  19.) 

Riches  is  the  general  term,  under  which  gar- 
ments and  coin  (ver.  a)  are  the  specifications. 
Are  corrupted.  The  decay  of  the  wealth  is 
a  figure  to  show  that  it  had  become  worthless. 
The  present  tense  indicates  the  certainty  of 
the  event  predicted,  and  its  near  approach. 
Compare  note  on  5:  7.  "Wealth,  with  the 
curse  of  God  upon  it,  is  poverty  and  wretch- 
edness. Are  moth-eaten — literally,  are  be- 
come moth-eaten.  In  this  state  the  rich  stuffs 
would  be  well  nigh  worthless,  if  not  altogether 
so.  Compare  Isa.  51:  8.  "The  moth  shall 
eat  them  up  like  a  garment,  and  the  worm 
shall  eat  them  like  wool."  The  age  in  which 
the  gospel  was  first  preached  to  the  poor  was 
eminently  an  age  of  covetousness.  The  secret 
of  happiness  was  supposed,  even  by  the  reli- 
gious teachers  of  the  Jewish  people,  to  be 
discoverable  in  luxury  and  pleasure.  (Mntt.  23: 
4;  Luke  16:  14.)  Hencc  they  adopted  any  means, 
however  unrighteous,  to  secure  affluence. 
(Jos.  "Ant."  XIII.  3:  4,  5.)  They  needed 
the  stern  admonition  of  James  the  Just,  that 
while  they   felicitated   themselves    in   being 


Ch.  v.] 

3  Your  gold  and  silver  is  cankered;  and  the  rust  of 
them  shall  be  a  witness  against  you,  and  shall  eat  your 
flesh  as  it  were  tire.  Ye  have  heaped  treasure  together 
for  the  last  days. 


JAMES. 


63 


3  Your  gold  and  your  silver  are  rusted;  and  their 
rust  shall  be  for  a  testimony  i  against  you,  and  shall 
eat  your  flesh  as  tire.     Ye  have  laid  up  your  treasure 

4  in  the  last  days.    Behold,  the  hire  of  the  labourers 


rich  and  increased  in  goods  and  having  need 
of  nothing,  they  were  on  thecontrary  wretched 
and  destitute.  Compare  John's  warning  to 
tlie  Church  of  Laodicea.  (Rev.3:n.)  The 
communism  and  self-sacrifices  of  the  Pente- 
costal helievers  were  a  generous  reaction  and 
protest  against  the  spirit  of  their  people  and 
their  times.     (Acts 2.) 

3.  Continuation  of  the  denunciation  of  the 
judgments  which  will  befall  the  rich.  Your 
gold  and  silver  is  cankered— litcally,  is 
rusted.  The  expression  is  hyperbolical ;  for 
gold  and  silver  never  rust.  James  does  not 
refer  to  the  black  tarnish  which  unused  silver 
contracts,  or  the  green  discoloration  of  hoarded 
gold ;  but  to  the  loss  of  value  which  occurs  in 
other  metals  through  rust.  The  rusted  metals 
correspond  to  the  motheaten  garments:  they 
are  worthless.  The  wealth  which  you  have 
regarded  as  a  substantial  possession,  and  from 
which  you  promise  yourselves  so  much,  will 
be  destroyed.  And  the  rust  of  them  shall 
be  a  witness  against  you — literally,  to  you. 
According  to  our  version  the  dative  is  that  of 
advantage  or  disadvantage  {dativus  coynmodi 
et  incommodi).  The  rendering  to  you  implies 
that  the  rust  that  had  gathered  upon  the 
unused  treasures  would  testify  to  the  hard- 
heartedness  of  their  possessors.  Compare  the 
words  of  Horace,  "Odes,"  B.  2,  Ode  2.  "There 
is  no  brightness  to  silver  concealed  in  the 
avaricious  earth,  O  Crispus  Sallust',  a  foe  to 
wealth  unless  it  shines  by  moderate  use." 
According  to  the  latter  rendering  the  melan- 
choly ruins  of  fortune  would  betoken  the 
destruction  of  those  who  foolishly  relied  upon 
them.  And  shall  eat  your  flesh  as  it  were 
fire.  The  judgment  upon  the  riches  extends 
also  to  their  possessors.  The  '  flesh  ' — literally, 
the  fleshy  imrts—\s,  &  figure  for  the  wealthy 
who  are  designated  by  that  part  of  the  body 
which  they  were  wont  to  pamper.  This  is 
represented  as  consumed  by  the  rust,  as  the 
fleshy  parts  of  Jezebel  were  consumed  by  the 
dogs.  (2King89:  36.)  The  keen  anguish  of  the 
punishment  is  indicated  by  the  gnawing  fire, 
which  tortures  while  it  consumes.  The  divine 
judgments    are    oftentimes    described    as    a 


devouring  fire.        (Ps.  2I:  9;  laa.  lO:  1G,  n;  30:  27;  Mark 

9: 44;  Amos  5 ;  6.)  Dcstruction  is  usually  implied  ; 
but  the  additional  idea  of  torment  clearly 
enters  into  it  (Ezek.  i5:7),  as  here.  Not  only 
the  destruction  of  that  which  the  rich  prized 
above  all  things  will  aflilict  them  with  a  pain 
as  keen  as  if  fire  devoured  their  flesh,  but  to 
this  will  be  added  remorse  for  wasted  oppor- 
tunities, for  criminal  pleasures,  and  for  the 
guilt  incurred  in  the  acquisition  of  deceitful 
riches.  Ye  have  heaped  treasure  together 
for  {in)  the  last  days.  The  vanity  of  the 
excessive  pursuit  of  wealth  by  those  whom 
James  addressed  was  shown  in  the  fact  that 
the  judgment  they  had  incurred  was  just 
about  to  befall  them.  The  inspired  writers 
did  not  discriminate,  in  these  warnings,  be- 
tween the  last  days  of  the  Jewish  polity 
(which  were  a  type  and  prophecy  of  the  final 
judgment),  and  the  final  judgment  itself. 
They  contented  themselves  in  declaring  the 
nearness    of    the    "coming    of    the    Lord" 

(1  Cor.  15:  51;  1  Thess.  4  :  15;  IJohn  2  :  18)  ;  and  in  Warn- 
ing those  to  whom  they  spoke  and  wrote  to  be 
ready  for  it.  This  clause,  as  explained  by 
what  precedes,  has  a  kindred  meaning  to  that 
of  Rom.  2:  5.  "But,  after  thy  hardness  and 
impenitent  heart,  treasures!  up  unto  thyself 
wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath  and  revela- 
tion of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God." 
These  were  the  very  days  when  the  treasures 
amassed  should  bear  their  testimony,  and  call 
down  the  consuming  sentence  of  God  upon 
their  guilty  possessors.  The  covetous,  who 
were  laying  up  treasure  even  by  fraud  and 
oppression  (ver.  4-6),  ought  rather  to  be  making 
ready  for  the  coming  Judge,  (ver.  s;  Luke  i7;  26-30.) 
See  note  on  5  :  7. 

Note. — In  ver.  3,  5,  and  6,  we  have  not 
changed  the  rendering  in  our  Common  Ver- 
sion of  the  aorist  by  the  perfect,  believing 
that  an  endeavor  to  preserve  the  precise 
character  of  the  original  in  these  instances 
would  give  an  air  of  stifl^ness  to  the  transla- 
tion. 

4.  The  ground  of  the  judgment  was  the 
unrighteousness  exercised  in  the  acquisition 
and  use  of  riches,   (ver.  4-6.)  Here  unrighteous- 


64 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  V. 


4  Behold,  the  hire  of  the  labourers  who  have  reaped 
dowu  your  fields,  which  is  of  you  kept  back  by  fraud, 
crieth:  aud  the  cries  of  them  which  have  reaped  are 
entered  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  .Sabaotb. 

5  Ye  have  lived  in  pleasure  on  the  earth,  and  been 
wanton  ;  ye  have  nourished  your  hearts,  as  in  a  day  of 
slaughter. 


who  mowed  your  fields,  which  is  of  you  kept  back 
by  fraud,  crieth  out:  and  the  cries  of  them  that 
reaped   have  entered  into  the  ears  of  the   Lord  of 

5  Sabaoth.     Ye  have  lived  delicately  on  the  earth,  and 
taken  your  pleasure ;  ye  have  nourished  your  hearts 

6  in  a  day  of  slaughter.     Ye  have  condemned,  ye 


ness  toward  laborers  is  specified.  An  im- 
proved translation  of  the  present  verse  would 
be:  "'Behold  the  hire  of  the  laborers  who 
reaped  your  fields,  which  is  fraudulently  kept 
back  by  you,  crieth  out  ;  ayid  theories  of  those 
that  reaped  have  entered  into  the  ears  of  the 
Lord  of  Hosts."  Behold,  the  hire  of  the 
labourers  who  have  reaped  your  fields. 
'  Behold,'  indicates  that  something  worthy  of 
earnest  attention  is  about  to  be  spoken.  The 
mode  in  which  the  wealth  had  been  accumu- 
lated was  iniquitous.  The  money  due  to  the 
laborers  who  had  gathered  harvests  for  the 
wealthy  was  withheld— Syriac  "  wrongfully 
retained" — a  wrong  which  the  law  did  not 
tolerate  even  for  a  single  night,  (i.ev. i9:  i3.) 
Against  such  evil  doers  a  woe  was  denounced 
(jer.22:i3),  and  a  swift  judgment  predicted. 
Mai.  3:5;  compare  Job  31:  38,  39.  Crieth 
out — demanding  vengeance  as  with  a  loud 
clamor,  (oen.  4:  10 1  Exod.  2: 23.)  To  Condemn  to 
hunger  those  whose  labors  supply  us  with 
bread  is  a  crime  that  cries  to  heaven.  For 
they  are  more  than  hirelings:  they  are  God's 
wards.  The  bounteous  Giver  of  the  harvest 
assigns  a  due  portion  thereof  to  those  who 
gather  it.  To  wrong  even  the  hireling  of  the 
fields  is  to  break  an  ordinance  of  heaven. 
(Ps.  126:5, 6.)  In  this  age  poverty  was  regarded 
as  a  rrime  and  pity  for  the  necessitous  as  a 
weakness.  (Virgil,"  Geor."  ii.  499. )  ButChris- 
tianity  came  forth  from  the  carpenter's  shoj) 
at  Nazareth,  to  dignify  honest  and  useful 
labor,  and  to  assert  the  right  of  the  poor  man 
to  enjoj'  the  fruits  of  his  toil  and  satisfy  the 
needs  of  his  nature.  A  large  number  of  the 
early  Christians  supported  themselves  by  their 
daily  labor,  (i  The<s.  4:  ii.)  And  the  cries  of 
them  which  have  reaped  are  entered 
into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth 
(hosts).  The  almightiness  of  God  to  redress 
and  avenge  is  indicated  by  the  title  "  Lord 
of  the  (angelic)  hosts."  Compare  Rev.  4:  8 
with  Isa.  6:  3.  The  Ruler  of  the  armies  of 
heaven  has  sovereign  power  over  all  the  mul- 
titudes of  earth  among  whom  he  represses  the 
strong  and  saves  the  weak.     (Rom.  9:  29.)    The 


hosts  he  gloriously  rules  are  the  stars  and  the 
angels.  Ps.  24:  10;  compare  Deut.  4:  19; 
1  Kings  22:  19.  And  he  hears  the  cr3'  of  the 
oppressed  on  earth,  who   aj)peal  to  him  for 

deliverance.        (Gen.  is :  21;  19:    IS;  Exod.  2:  23;  3:  9;  2 

Sam.  22: 7 ;  ;  s.  18 :  6 ;  Isa.  5 :  9.)  James  uses  the  He- 
brew title  of  the  supreme  King  of  the  Uni- 
verse, as  he  is  writing  to  Jews  among  whom 
this  title  was  familiar;  it  occurs  not  less  than 
twenty-three  times  in  Malachi. 

5.  The  rich  were  also  unrighteous  in  the  use 
they  made  of  their  riches,  which  they  devoted 
not  to  the  relief  of  the  wearj'  and  poor  labor- 
ers, but  to  the  gratification  of  their  own  lusts. 
While  those  by  whom  their  wealth  was  cre- 
ated suflTered,  they  lived  in  voluptuousness 
and  debauchery.  Ye  have  lived  in  pleas- 
ure on  the  earth,  and  been  wanton — 
Syriac,  "revelled."  Ye  have  lived  in  volup- 
tuousness and  in  luxury.  The  picture  of  such 
a  life  had  already  been  drawn  by  our  Lord  in 
the  parable  of  the  rich  man.  (Luke  i6: 19.)  They 
sought  for  nothing  higher  than  earthly  de- 
lights, unmindful  of  that  wrath  which  was 
about  to  be  "revealed  Irom  heaven  against 
all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of  men." 
(Rom.  1:  18.)  The  form  of  the  verb  (the  gnomic 
aorist)  indicates  that  this  was  the  habit  and 
character  of  their  lives.  Ye  have  nourished 
your  hearts,  as  in  a  day  of  slaughter — 
better,  ye  have  pampered  your  hearts  in  a  day 
of  slaughter.  'Your  hearts'  implies  more 
than  yourselves.  Agreeably  to  the  ph^-sio- 
logical  views  of  antiquity,  the  heart  and  the 
stomach  were  closely  connected  ;  hence  the 
idea  of  the  pleasures  of  eating  is  here  sug- 
gested. Compare  Acts  14:  17.  (Winer.)  'In 
a  day  of  slaughter'  is  not  equivalent  to  for  a 
day  of  slaughter,  as  some  suppose,  but  is 
parallel  to  "in  the  last  days."  Ver.  8.  See 
Jer.  12:  3;  25:  34.  While  they  were  care- 
lessly and  greedily  pampering  their  appetites 
and  passions,  the  day  of  their  judgment  had 
already  dawned.  They  were  like  oxen  feast- 
ing on  a  day  of  butchery;  like  Belshazzar 
revelling,  while  an  armed  and  bloodthirsty 
foe  was  at  his  palace  gates.     (Luke  21 :  34.) 


Ch.  v.] 


JAMES. 


65 


6  Ye  liave  condemned  and  killed  the  just ;  and  he 
dolh  not  resist  you. 

7  Be  patient  therefore,  brethren,  unto  the  coming  of 
tlie  Lord.  Behold,  the  husbandmen  waiteth  for  the 
precious  fruit  of  the  earth,  and  hath  long  patience  for 
It,  until  he  receive  the  early  and  latter  rain. 


have  killed  the  righteous  owe ;  he  doth  not  resist 
you. 

Be  patient  therefore,  brethren,  until  the  'com- 
ing ol  the  Lord.  Behold,  the  husbandman  waitetll 
lor  the  precious  fruit  of  the  earth,  being  patient 
over  it,  until  -it  receive  the  early  and  latter  rain. 


I  Qt.  presence 2  Or.  he. 


6.  Ye  have  condemned  and  killed  the 

just,  and  he  doth  not  resist  you.  Another 
sin  of  the  rich  was  that  they  shamefully  per- 
verted the  influence  they  had,  in  oppressing 
and  even  murdering  the  righteous.  The 
original  is  more  spirited  than  our  rendering. 
It  is :  Ve  have  condemned,  ye  have  killed  the 
just  man;  he  doth  not  resist  you.  The  rich 
are  charged  with  doing  what  thej-  caused  the 
judges  and  executioners  to  do,  as  well  as  with 
tlie  guilt  of  those  iniquitous  sentences  which 
thej'  themselves  pronounced  and  inflicted. 
The  chief  priests  and  elders  persuaded  the 
multitude  to  reject  the  Lord.  (Matt.  27:  20.)  And 
the  same  "rulers"  (ActsS:  17)  and  "princes" 
(1  Cor.  2:  8)  who  wcre  guilty  of  the  blood  of  the 
Lord  were  also  foremost  in  the  persecutions 
of  his  people.  'The  just'  {man)  expresses 
the  whole  class,  just  as  'the  poor'  {man)  does 
in  2:  6.  The  case  of  Jesus  is  not  specifically 
referred  to,  because  James  is  charging  the 
wealthy  and  powerful  with  a  crime  which 
they  were  accustomed  to  commit.  A  parallel 
to  this  passage  is  found  in  "Wisdom  of  Solo- 
mon 2:  10-20.  It  is  an  interesting  circum- 
stance that  James  himself  was  commonly 
Known  as  "the  Just,"  even  among  the  Jews. 
Hegesippus  thus  describes  his  martyrdom: 
"The  Scribes  and  Piiarisees  threw  down  the 
Just  from  the  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  and 
said,  '  Let  us  stone  James  the  Just! '  and  they 
began  to  stone  him ;  for  he  had  not  been 
killed  by  the  fall,  but  turning  round,  knelt 
and  said :  'I  beseech  thee,  Lord  God  and 
Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do.'  But  while  they  were  thus  stoning 
him,  one  of  the  fullers  took  the  club  with 
which  he  used  to  press  the  clothes  and  struck 
the  head  of  the  Just.  Thus  he  sulfered  mar- 
tyrdom." The  legend,  to  which  indeed  little 
importance  is  to  be  given,  serves  nevertheless 
to  illustrate  the  meaning  of  our  text.  'He 
doth  not  resist  you.'  This  circumstance  em- 
phasizes the  unrighteousness  and  criminality 
of  the  rich,  who  are  unmoved  by  the  patient 
sufferings  of  their  innocent  victims.  It  also 
implies  that,  being  allowed  full  scope  of  action 
5  I 


here,  they  might  the  more  certainly  expect  to 
be  called  to  account  for  their  conduct  here- 
after.      (Amos2:6,  7;  5:12;  8:4.)      That   a   menace  is 

involved  in  the  expression  appears  from  what 
immediately  follows.  The  meekness  of  the 
just  is  "the  dead  calm  before  the  earth- 
quake." 

7.  Suflfering  believers  are  cheered,  and  are 
exhorted  to  patient  endurance,  (ver.  7-11.)  Be 
patient  therefore,  brethren.  The  'breth- 
ren' are  contrasted  with  the  rich  and  power- 
ful, and  are  assigned  to  the  class  of  the  just 
(ver.  6)  whom  thcse  persecute.  And  they  must 
vindicate  their  claim  to  this  high  association 
by  exhibiting  the  long  suffering  which  is  a 
distinguishing  characteristic  of  the  just,  when 
under  persecution  for  righteousness'  sake. 
Unto  {until)  the  coining  of  the  Lord.  The 
return  of  Christ  is  pointed  to  as  a  day  of  retri- 
bution, when  the  good  and  the  evil  would, 
each  of  them,  experience  the  destiny  he  had 
been  preparing  for.  After  Clirist's  coming, 
the  just,  now  suffering  on  earth,  would  be- 
come blessed  spirits  in  the  better  world.  Like 
their  Master,  they  would  exchange  the  cross 
for  the  crown.  The  earl\-  Christians  had  no 
knowledge  of  the  time  of  this  coming,  which 
yet  they  supposed  to  be  nigh ;  and  thej'  could 
not  distinguish  between  his  coming  to  destroy 
Jerusalem,  and  hiscoming  to  judge  the  world. 
The  former  was  the  foreshadowing  and  the 
assurance  of  the  latter.  Behold  the  hus- 
bandman waiteth,  etc.  Instead  of  and 
hath  long  patience  for  it,  road  being  pa- 
tient over  it;  and  instead  of  until  he  re- 
ceive, read  until  it  receive.  It  is  the  opinion 
of  some  interpreters  that  a  drought  prevailed 
during  the  very  year  when  this  Epistle  was 
written.  Compare  Acts  11  :  28.  This  circum- 
stance would  give  special  weight  and  aptness 
to  the  illustration.  The  same  illustration 
occurs  in  Eccles.  6:  19,  The  husbandman 
after  sowing  is  not  hopeless  or  impatient,  be- 
cause some  time  must  elapse  before  the  har- 
vest appears  to  reward  his  toil.  And,  like 
him,  the  Christian  must  keep  himself  in  pa- 
tience until  the  precious  fruit, of  his  toils  for 


66 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  V 


God  is  matured  and  reaped.  There  were  two 
heavy  rainfalls  in  Palestine — one  in  autumn, 

the  other  in  spring    (Deut.  11:U;  Jer.  5:24;  Joel  2:  23), 

the  rainy  season  extending  from  October 
until  !March.  When  these  duly  appeared,  a 
good  harvest  might  reasonably  be  expected. 
The  "early  rain"  fell  in  the  month  of  Octo- 
ber; the  "latter,"  in  the  month  of  March. 
By  the  first  the  soil  was  softened  for  husban- 
dry; by  the  second,  the  swelling  grain  was 
fed. 

Note. — 'The  coming  of  the  Lord'  speci- 
fically denotes  the  visible  return  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  from  heaven  to  raise  the  dead,  to 
hold  the  final  judgment,  and  to  establish  the 
kingdom  of  God  solemnly  and  gloriously. 
(2  Thess.  1 :  6, 7.)  In  general  it  indicates  any  par- 
ticular interposition  for  the  punishment  of 
Messiah's  enemies,  or  for  the  discipline  or 
deliverance  of  his  people,  (phu.  *:  5;  Heb.  10:25.) 
Hence  the  judgments  about  to  befall  the 
churches  of  Asia  Minor  were  described  as  the 
personal  visitations  of  Christ.  (Rev.  2:  5,  16.) 
"/  will  come  quickly,  and  take  away  thy 
candlestick."  (Rev.  2:  5.)  " /wi^^  come  on  thee 
quickly."  It  is  clear  enough  that  the  earlj' 
Christians  could  not  distinguish  between  such 
occasional  visitations  of  the  Heavenly  King 
and  his  final  coming.  Hence  both  were  con- 
founded in  the  question  of  the  disciples. 
(Matt.24:3.)  "Tell  US  wheu  shall  these  things 
[the  calamities  of  Jerusalem]  be,  and  what 
shall  be  the  sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the 
end  of  the  world?"  Nor  have  we  any  reason 
to  suppose  that  the  disciples  were  afterwards 
apprised  of  the  time  fixed  either  for  Christ's 
return  to  destroy  the  Jewish  State,  or  to  judge 
tlie  world. 

The  Lord  indeed  taught  his  disciples  that 
the  two  events  were  not  simultaneous.  In 
the  account  given  by  Matthew,  we  have  the 
answer  to  the  questions  of  the  disciples  in 
regard  to  both  events.  Mark  and  Luke  give 
Christ's  explanation  of  but  one— the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  which  was  to  be  preceded 
by  signs  and  portents;  the  other  should  come 
like  a  thief  in  the  night.  See  my  article  on 
"The  Coming  of  Christ,"  in  Ford's  "Reposi- 
tory,'' March.  1879.  Paul  also  distinguished 
between  the  Comings.  He  warned  the  Phil- 
ippians  that  "the  Lord  was  at  hand."  (Piiii. 
4:5.)  But  he  urged  the  Thessalonians  not  to 
be  disturbed  by  the  impre.«sion  that  the  daj'  of 


Christ  was  at  hand,  declaring  that  the  times 
were  not  yet  ripe  for  our  Lord's  coming. 
These  texts  would  be  contradictory,  unless 
ditTerent  comings  had  been  intended.  All  the 
disciples  looked  for  the  Lord's  appearing 
(Col. 3:4),  yet  Peter  also,  like  Paul,  warned 
his  readers  against  expecting  the  speed3'  ad- 
vent of  Christ,  reminding  them  that  "one 
day  with  the  Lord  is  as  a  thousand  years,  and 
a  thousand  years  as  one  day."     (2Peter3:  8.9.) 

How,  then,  shall  we  explain  those  passages 
which  imply  that  the  day  of  Christ  might  at 
any  moment  break  upon  the  world  ?  In  three 
respects  the  coming  of  Christ  was  near.  1. 
Christ  comes  at  the  day  of  death,  when  the 
destiny  is  forever  decided.  (2Cor.  5:8.)  Those 
who  are  "absent  from  the  body"  are  "'pres- 
ent with  the  Lord.^^  This  day  is  near  to  every 
one.  2.  The  overthrow  of  the  Jewish  polity 
was  at  hand  when  the  epistles  were  written. 
This  event  was  aptly  described  as  a  day  of 
divine  visitation  ;  for  it  vindicated  the  honor 
of  Christ,  rolled  away  the  reproach  of  his 
death,  arrested  the  persecutions  of  his  people, 
and  gave  them'  new  proofs  of  his  guardian 
care;  for,  warned  by  his  prophecy  (Matt.  24: 
15-18.),  they  had  already  betaken  themselves  to 
a  safe  retreat  in  Pella,  beyond  Jordan,  when 
their  enemies  were  falling  beneath  the  Roman 
sword.  3.  The  general  judgment  was  near  as 
computed  by  the  Dispensations  of  the  eternal 
God  (2  Peter  3: 8, 9),  wlio  mcasures  the  ages  by 
his  own  existence,  and  to  whom  our  ages  are 
"as  yesterday,"  and  "as  a  watch  in  the 
night."  (Ps.90:4.)  It  must  also  be  observed 
that  the  prophets,  like  all  speakers  passion- 
ately assured  of  the  future,  use  the  figure  of 
promptness  or  nearness  to  indicate  certainty. 
Lowth,  in  his  "Lectures  on  Hebrew  Poetry" 
(§  15,  p.  162,  Lond.  Ed.,  1836),  calls  attention 
to  the  frequency  with  which  the  prophets  use 
the  present  tense  to  indicate  what  will  cer- 
tainly occur  in  the  future,  as  in  the  prophetic 
narrative  of  Sennacherib's  invasion  of  Pales- 
tine. Isa.  10:  28-32.  Compare  the  burden  of 
Babylon,  Isa.  13:  6:  "The  day  of  the  Lord 
is  at  hand."  Also  the  punishment  of  Israel, 
Ezek.  7:  6:  "The  end  is  come,"  etc.  So  with 
the  primeval  curse,  which  was  not  immedi- 
ately inflicted,  nor  is  yet  exhausted,  Gen.  2 :  17: 
"In  the  day  that  thou  eatest  thereof  thou 
shalt  surely  die."  And  so  with  the  gospel 
promise  of  deliverance,   John  5;  25:   'The 


Ch.  v.] 


JAMES. 


67 


8  Be  ye  also  patient;  stablish  your  hearts:  for  the 
coming  of  tlie  Lord  drawfth  nigh. 

9  Grudge  not  one  against  another,  brethren,  lest  ye 
be  condemned:  behold,  the  judge  slaudeth  before  the 
door. 


I    8  Be  ye  also  patient;   stablish  your  hearts:  for  the 

9  looming  of   the    Lord   is  at  hand.      Murmur  not, 

brethren,    one    against    another,  that    ye    be    i;ot 

judged:     behold,    the   judge    standeth    before   the 

10  doors.    Take,  brethren,  for  an  example  of  suffer- 


1  Gr.,  presence. 


hour  is  coming,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead 
shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and 
they  that  hear  shall  live."  In  this  way  the 
certainty  of  the  event  was  indicated,  and  the 
attention  of  men  was  fi.\ed  upon  the  prophecy. 
The  same  figure,  the  hypotyposis,  is  familiar 
in  secular  poetry  and  oratory. 

8.  The  appeal,  with  the  motive  for  heeding 
it,  is  renewed.  Patience  is  encouraged  by 
the  nearness  of  the  Lord's  coming,  (i  Peter4:  ?; 
Kom.i3:H.)  Storr's  "  Diss.  on  Kingdom  of 
Heaven,"  §9.  Be  ye  also  patient.  'Also' 
refers  to  the  husbandman,  who  is  an  example 
in  patience  to  the  believer.  Stablish  (or 
strengthen)  your  hearts  by  anticipating  the 
Advent  of  Christ,  when  the  injustice  and 
violence  of  men  will  be  redressed.  Patience 
is  the  attribute — not,  as  is  commonl}'  sup- 
posed, of  the  weak,  but  of  the  strong  (iThess. 
3:  13, 1 1'eters:  10) ;  and  Christian  hope  is  the 
secret  of  Christian  strength.  Plumptre: 
"The  promise  of  the  Second  Advent  has  been 
to  believers  in  Christ  what  the  promise  of  the 
First  Advent  was  to  Abraham  and  the  patri- 
archs. They  saw  the  far-off  fulfillment, 
knowing  not  the  times  and  the  seasons,  and 
it  made  them  feel  that  ihey  were  'pilgrims 
and  strangers'  (Heb.  u:  is),  and  so  purified  and 
strengthened  them."  And,  so  far  as  the  case 
of  those  to  whom  James  wrote  was  concerned, 
the  coming  of  the  Lord  to  redeem  them  from 
the  persecutions  inflicted  upon  them  by  a 
proud  and  dominant  Judaism,  was  near  at 
hand;  although,  as  the  event  proved,  the 
time  of  the  general  and  final  retribution  was 
yet  far  distant.  The  early  disciples  were 
assured  of  the  certainty  of  the  Lord's  coming, 
and  were  taught  that  it  might  be  expected  at 
anytime.  (2  Thess.  i :  4-8.)  Thus  they  were  en- 
couraged patiently  to  wait  for  it.  But  they 
were  also  warned  against  undue  excitement, 
or  any  presumption  in  regard  to  it.  (2Thess. 
2:1-*),  and  were  admonished  that  God's  ap- 
pointed time  might  embrace  centuries  in  its 
sweep.  (2Peter3:8.)  Compare  Angus.  "Christ 
our  Life,"  32.3-333. 

INoTK. — The    frequent    appeals    enjoining 
patience  and  hope  are  thought  bj'  Bensen  and 


Stanley  to  indicate  the  year  42  as  the  date  of 
the  Epistle,  a  period  when  a  train  of  calamities 
befell  that  vast  Jewish  population  dwelling 
upon  the  plains  of  Babylonia  (Stanley,  "  Es- 
says and  Sermons,"  p.  294),  wiien,  in  the 
expressive  language  of  Milman  ("Hist.  Jews," 
2:  185):  "The  skirts  of  that  tremendous  tem- 
pest, which  was  slowly  gathering  over  the 
native  country  and  metropolis  of  the  devoted 
people,  first  broke,  and  discharged  their  heavy 
clouds  of  ruin  and  aesolation,  one  by  one, 
over  each  of  their  remoter  settlements." 

9.  Another  admonition  founded  on  the 
ajjproach  of  the  Judgment.  Judge  not 
one  against  another — that  is.  Murmur  not. 
Those  who  suffer  are  wont  to  complain,  and 
easily  become  fretful  and  captious  toward 
their  nearest  and  must  loved  associates.  They 
groan  because  they  suffer  more  than  others 
who  are,  they  think,  more  faulty  than  them- 
selves, or  because  they  do  not  receive  from 
others  due  attention  and  sympathy.  They 
easily  imagine  themselves  the  unhappj'  victims 
of  inhumanity  or  injustice.  And,  asour  Epistle 
shows,  such  complaints  were  not  always  with- 
out foundation.  Lest  ye  be  condemned. 
For  if  the  complaint  were  groundless,  the 
false  judgment  would  be  criminal ;  if  it  were 
just,  the  complainant  would  have  usurped  the 
prerogatives  of  the  coming  Judge — an  oiRce 
most  unsuitable  for  a  sinful  man,  who  is  soon 
to  stand  his  own  trial  before  the  Searcher  of 
hearts.  Another  thought  is  suggested  by  the 
use  of  the  word  brethren.  Dinter:  "Even 
he  who  has  injured  still  remains  thy  brother, 
thy  Father's  son,  the  purchase  of  thy  Re- 
deemer— one  to  whom  thou  must  wish  good 
rather  than  evil."  Behold  the  judge  stand- 
eth before  the  door — that  is,  at  the  door. 
(Literally,  before  the  doors.)  This  expression 
indicates  the  nearness  of  the  judge,  who  might 
present  himself  at  any  moment.  (Matt. 24:33: 
Marn  13:  29.)  He  will  bcst  know  and  judge  what 
awards  to  impart  and  to  inflict.  And  the  rule 
of  his  judgment  will  condemn  the  uncharit- 
able (Matt. 7:1),  to  whom  he  will  assign  the 
measure  which  they  have  meted  out  to  others. 

[In  the  textus  reccptus  there  is  no  article 


68 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  V. 


10  Take,  my  brethren,  the  prophets,  who  have  spokeu 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  for  an  examjjle  of  sutt'eriug 
affliction,  and  of  patience. 

11  Behold,  we  count  them  happy  which  endure.  Ye 
have  heard  of  the  patience  of  Job,  and  have  seen  the 
end  of  the  Lord ;  that  the  Lord  is  very  pitiful,  and  of 
tender  mercy. 


ing  and  of  patience,  the  prophets  who  spake  in  the 
11  namd  of  the  Lord.  Behold,  we  call  them  blessed 
wIjo  endured  :  ye  have  heard  of  tlie  '  patience  of 
Job,  and  have  seen  the  end  of  the  Lord,  how  that 
the  Lord  is  full  of  pity,  and  merciful. 


1  Or,  endurance. 


before  the  word  'judge,'  but  tlie  autliors  of 
our  Common  Version  inserted  one,  because 
the  context  leaves  no  room  for  doubt  that 
James  refers  to  the  Supreme  Judge.  And  a 
careful  examination  of  the  best  MSS.  shows 
that  they  have  the  article.  This  is  true  of 
X  A  B  K  L  P,  while  no  important  uncial 
sustains  the  textus  receptus  in  omitting  the 
article.  Let  the  work  of  textual  criticism  be 
encouraged,  till  the  sources  of  knowledge 
have  all  been  examined. — A.  H.] 

10.  Take,  my  brethren,  the  prophets 
Avho  have  spokeu,  etc.  The  rendering  is 
improved  by  omitting  'my,'  which  is  not 
expressed  in  the  original,  and  by  changing 
'have  spoken'  into  spoke.  For  an  example 
of  suftering  affliction,  and  of  patience 
— better,  an  example  of  offiiction,  and  of 
patience.  'An  example'  to  cheer  the  heart, 
and  an  example  to  influence  the  conduct  of 
suiferine:  believers,  was  afforded  by  the  history 
of  the  prophets  of  earlier  times.  (Matt. 5:  12.) 
The  favor  they  had  with  God,  and  the  dignity 
of  the  ofl3ce  they  bore,  did  not  exempt  them 
from  suffering  ;  nor  did  their  afflictions,  how- 
ever unmerited  and  extreme,  induce  them  to 
surrender  their  trust  in  God,  or  renounce 
their  sacred,  but  arduous  mission.  They 
relied  on  the  grace  of  him  who  sent  them, 
and  they  expected  a  final  reward  at  his  hands. 
'The  prophets  who  spo]<e  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,'  who  uttered  their  warnings,  promises, 
and  appeals  by  divine  authority.  (Jer.  20:9; 
44:  16;  Dan.  9:  6.)  They  protested  against  the 
wor.ship  of  idols,  and  against  the  prevalent 
vices  of  their  people,  as  transgressions  of  the 
law  of  God,  and,  on  this  account,  they  were 
all  of  them  persecuted,  and  some  of  them 
killed.  (Malt,  vs:  29, 30;  Luke  13:  33, 34.)  There  Were 
also  prophets  in  the  Christian  churches  (1  Cor. 

12:  10;  Eph.2:  20;  Rev.  22  :  9),     who    WCrC    expOSed    tO 

similar  trials ;  but  James  could  not  have  re- 
ferred to  these,  inasmuch  as  his  Epistle  was 
written  to  them,  as  well  as  to  other  believers, 
all  of  whom  he  sought  to  inspire  by  the  recol- 
lections of  the  heroic  days  of  old.     (Heb.  u: 


35-38.)  Yet  there  was  a  close  relationship  be- 
tween the  Old  and  the  New  Testament 
prophets ;  they  both  were  instructed  in  the 
divine  mysteries  and  purposes  of  grace,  and 
communicated  tliem  to  others.  Hence,  in  the 
case  of  the  Old  Testament  prophets,  says 
Cremer  (p.  569):  "Their  preaching  was  a 
predicting,  a  foi-etelling  of  the  salvation  yet  to 
be  accomplished :  while,  in  the  case  of  the  New 
Testament  prophets,  it  was  a 2nibiication  of  the 
salvation  already  accomplished.'"  Hence,  in 
Eph.  3:5;  2:  20,  they  are  named  side  by  side 
with  apostles  as  the  foundation  of  the  Church. 
They  were  for  the  Church  what  the  seers  of 
old  were  for  Israel,  and  needed  the  encour- 
agement of  their  memorable  example. 

11.  Nor  was  the  case  of  the  prophets  pecu- 
liar in  this  respect.  The  entire  class  of  trium- 
phant sufferers  to  which  they  belonged  is  now 
honored  and  blest.  (Mntt.  24:  is.)  Behold,  we 
count  them  happy  which  endure — read, 
who  have  endured.  We  assure  ourselves  that 
God  has  not  left  the  pious  sufferers  of  the  past 
unrewarded.  (Matt.  5:  12.)  Among  these.  Job  (to 
whose  history  this  is  the  only  New  Testament 
reference)  was  conspicuous.  This  patriarch, 
whom  James  recognizes  as  a  real  character, 
was  a  memorable  example  of  patient  endur- 
ance under  troubles  and  unmerited  reproaches. 
The  story  of  Job  was  recited  in  the  syna- 
gogue reading,  and  must  have  been  generally 
known.  It  is  referred  to  in  Ezek.  14:  14-20. 
Paul  quotes  from  the  book  (s:  is)  in  1  Cor.  3: 
19.  What  the  Jews  knew  of  their  law  and  his- 
torj'  was  chiefly  derived  from  oral  instruction  ; 
hence,  hearing  is  more  frequently  mentioned 
than  reading.     This  was  the  case  even  with 

the  rich  and  noble.  (1  Kiug»4:  S;  2Kiags  12:  U;  Isa. 
29:  IS;  Jer.lSK:  4;  Rev.  1  :  3.)      And      haVC     .SCCn     the 

end  of  the  Lord;  that  the  Lord  is  very 
pitiful,  and  of  tender  mercy.  According 
to  Tischendorf  the  reading  should  be:  "Be- 
hold also  the  end  of  the  Lord" — the  happy 
result  which  the  Lord  brought  forth  from  the 
affliction  (genitive  of  cause)  ;  and  see  from 
this  history  '  that  the  Lord  is  very  pitiful  and 


Ch.  v.] 


JAMES. 


69 


12  But  above  all  things,  my  brethren,  swear  not,  I  12      But  above  all  things,  my  brethren,  swear  not, 
neither  by  heaven,  neither  by  the  earth,  neither  by  |        neither  by  the  heaven,  nor  by  the  earth,  nor  by  any 


of  tender  mercy.'  No  finer  example  could 
James  present  (save  that  of  the  First  of  Suf- 
ferers) than  tliat  of  the  patriarch  whose  story 
exhibits  the  extremes  of  prosperous  integrity, 
terrible  sufferings,  persistent  endurance,  glo- 
rious deliverance,  and  eminent  blessedness — 
a  portentous  yet  transient  thunder-cloud 
which  passes  away  with  a  rainbow  of  peace 
and  promise  on  its  breast.  The  sufferings  of 
his  servant  brought  out  into  brighter  relief 
the  tender  compassions  of  God.  Believers 
might  be  assured  from  this  history  that  God 
would  not  lay  upon  them  more  than  they 
were  able  to  bear,  nor  let  them  suffer  longer 
than  was  necessary  and  beneficial  to  them. 

Upon  the  history  of  this  patriarch  and  the 
book  that  records  it,  Herder  ("Hist.  Heb. 
Poetry,"  Dial.  5,  ad  Jinem)  eloquently  re- 
marks :  "  If  he,  the  patient  sufferer,  was  here 
the  recorder  of  his  own  afflictions  and  tri- 
umphs, of  his  own  wisdom,  first  victorious  in 
conflict  and  then  humbled  in  the  dust,  how 
blest  has  been  his  trials,  how  richly  rewarded 
his  pains!  In  a  book  full  of  imperishable 
thoughts,  he  still  lives,  gives  utterance  to  the 
sorrows  of  his  heart,  and  extends  his  triumph 
over  centuries  and  continents.  Not  only, 
according  to  his  wish,  did  he  die  in  his  nest, 
but  a  phoenix  has  sprung  forth  from  his  ashes, 
and  from  that  odorous  nest  is  diffused  an  in- 
cense which  gives,  and  will  forever  give, 
reviving  energy  to  the  faint  and  strength  to 
the  powerless.  He  has  drawn  down  the 
heavens  to  the  earth,  encamped  their  host 
invisibly  around  the  bed  of  languishing,  and 
made  the  aflHictions  of  the  sufferer  a  spectacle 
to  angels;  yea,  has  taught  that  God  looks 
with  watchful  eye  upon  his  creatures,  and 
exposes  them  to  the  trial  of  their  integrity  for 
the  maintenance  of  his  own  truth  and  the 
promotion  of  his  own  glory."   (5:  ii.) 

A  brilliant  literary  genius  of  England  has 
confounded  heaven  itself  with  such  a  posthu- 
mous influence,  regarding  it  as  her  noblest 
aim  to  live: 
In  thoughts  sublime  that  pierce  the  world  like  stars, 
And  with  their  mild  persistence  urge  men's  search 
To  vaster  issues.    This  is  life  to  come, 
Which  martyred  men  have  made  more  glorious 
For  us  who  strive  to  follow.    May  I  reach 
That  purest  heaven,  be  to  other  souls 


The  cup  of  strength  in  some  great  agony, 
Enkindle  generous  ardor,  feed  pure  love, 
Beget  the  smiles  that  have  uo  cruelty, 
Be  the  sweet  presence  of  a  good  diilused. 
And  in  diffusion  ever  more  intense, — 
So  shall  I  join  the  choir  invisible 
Whose  music  is  the  gladness  of  the  world. 

—George  Eliot. 

All  these  high  aspirations  religion  encour- 
ages, but  it  gives  them  a  scope  and  a  precious- 
ness  of  which  the  gifted  sceptic  had  no  know- 
ledge :  it  crowns  them  with  the  revelation  of 
a  personal  God,  and  the  assurance  of  a  per- 
sonal immortality. 

2.  5 :  12-18.  Slowness  to  speak.  Religious 
use  of  the  tongue,  not  in  swearing  (ver.  12) ; 
but  in  prayer  and  song  (ver.  13-18) ;  in  season- 
able worship  (ver.  13) ;  intercessory  worship 
(ver.  14-16)  ;  trustful  worship.     Ver.  16-18. 

12.  As  the  previous  verses  of  this  chapter 
(i-n)  recapitulated  and  enforced  the  duties  of 
tried  believers,  as  demanded  by  reverence  for 
the  divine  word  (they  must  be  swift  to  hear), 
James  now  recalls  the  second  theme  of  the 
Epistle  (slow  to  speak),  giving  warnings  and 
directions  in  regard  to  the  pious  use  of  the 
tongue.  (Ver.  12-18.)  The  tongue,  he  observes, 
in  the  first  place,  must  not  be  employed  in 
swearing,  (ver.  12.)  There  must  be  no  irrever- 
ence in  its  most  sacred  act,  the  utterance  of 
the  name  of  God  in  an  appeal  to  his  throne. 
Above  all  things,  my  brethren,  swear 
not.  This  warning  is  to  be  laid  to  heart  as 
the  most  important  of  all.  It  reproduces  our 
Lord's  injunction.  (Matt.  5: 33.37.)  That  solemn 
judicial  oaths  are  not  prohibited  to  Christians 
is  evident  from  our  Lord's  answer  to  Caia- 
phas,  when  put  on  oath  in  the  usual  form 
(M:itt. 26:  63,  64);  and  from  Paul's  use;  in  his 
inspired   writings,  of  expressions   which  are 

of    the    nature    of    an    oath.    (Rom.  l:  9;  2Cor.  l;  23; 

Gal.  1:  20;  Phil.  1:  8.)  It  is  also  evident  from  the 
fact  that  swearing  in  the  name  of  God  was 
not  only  permitted  under  the  Old  Dispensa- 
tion     (Deut.6:  13;  10:  20;  P8.63:  11),     but     WES     CVCn 

predicted  by  the  prophets  as  a  sign  of  the 
future  conversion  of  the  world  to  God.  (i»a.  ss: 
16;  Jer.  12:  16;  23: 7, 8.)  It  is  the  carclcss  and  the 
familiar  use  of  oaths  which  James  condemns. 
A  careless  oath  is  criminal,  because  every 
oath  involves  an  appeal  to  God.  (Man. 23:  16-22.) 


70 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  V. 


any  other  oath  :  but  let  your  yea  be  yea  ;  and  your  nay, 
nay ;  lest  ye  I'all  into  coiideuiuation. 

lo  Is  any  among  you  afflicted?  let  him  pray.    Is  any 
merry  ?  let  him  sing  psalms. 


other  oath  :  but  ^let  your  yea  be  yea,  and  your  nay, 
nay  ;  that  ye  fall  not  under  judgment. 

13  Is  any  among   you  sutfering?  let  him  pray.    Is 

14  any  cheerful  ?   let  him  sing  praise.    Is  any  among 


1  Or,  let  yours  be  the  yea,  yea,  and  the  nay,  nay.     Compare  Matt.  5 :  37. 


A  habitual  oath  is  criminal,  because  it  depre- 
ciates the  simple  word,  and  shows  an  inditier- 
ence  to  truth,  "which  stands  in  striking  con- 
trast with  the  earnestness  of  the  Christian 
Spirit."  Clement  of  Alexandria  ("Strom." 
vii.  8)  proudly  remarks  that  "it  is  indignity 
for  a  Christian  to  be  put  upon  his  oath." 
The  yes  or  no  of  a  true  man  always  suffices. 
The  forms  of  swearing  here  mentioned  were 
those  common  among  the  Jews.  Lest  ye 
fall  into  condemnation.  This  shows  the 
importance  of  the  prohibition.  The  frivolous 
swearer  will  incur  tiie  judgment  of  the  Great 
Day.  Profane  expletives  were  common  in 
our  Lord's  day,  and  then,  as  now,  they  were 
expressions  of  impiety  toward  God,  and  the 
resort  of  fraud  and  falsehood  toward  men. 
(.Matt.  23:  16-22.)  And  the  irreverence  for  God, 
thus  displayed  and  encouraged,  strikes  at  the 
foundation  of  religion  and  morality.  Hence, 
James'  emphatic  'above  all.' 

13.  Yet  while  God's  name  should  not  be 
abused  by  trivial  oaths,  every  occasion  of  life 
should  recall  it.  The  afflicted  should  pour 
out  their  hearts  to  him  in  prayer,  the  joyful 
in  sacred  song.  These  are  the  proper  modes 
of  appeal  to  God.  Is  any  among  you  af- 
flicted? Let  him  pray.  The  affliction  may 
be  either  of  the  mind  or  of  the  body.  The 
pain  is  softened,  and  the  murmur  is  hushed, 
as  the  suffering  Christian  reminds  himself  of 
the  wisdom,  power,  and  love  of  God,  and  sub- 
mits himself  trustfullj'  to  the  divine  provi- 
dence. Thus  he  receives  guidance  and  help, 
and  is  strengthened  for  the  courageous  endur- 
ance of  his  sufferings.  Is  any  merry  (cheer- 
ful)! Let  him  sing  psalms — literally,  let 
him  play — that  is,  upon  the  harp.  As  such 
music  (the  psalm)  was  the  accompaniment 
of  sacred  song,  it  came  to  indicate  the  words 
themselves.  The  "psalm,"  as  distinguished 
from  the  hymn  and  the  spiritual  song,  re- 
quired the  use  of  an  instrument  of  music. 
See  Trench  on  New  Testament  Synonyms, 
Part  II.,  §  28.  The  "hymn"  was  a  song  of 
praise.  The  "spiritual  song"  was  a  lyrical 
expression  of  Christian  experience.  All  these 
varieties  were  familiar  to  Christian  antiquity, 


as  we  learn  from  Col.  3:  16  (consult  Light- 
foot  on  the  passage),  and  Eph.  5:  19.  We 
may  suppose  James  to  have  embraced  them 
all  in  his  injunction.  Prosperity  and  happi- 
ness cease  to  be  seductive  when  they  are 
traced  to  their  Author,  and  welcomed  as  the 
gift  of  a  loving  Father.  Gratitude  to  God 
will  lead  to  a  wise  use  of  fortune.  The  char- 
acter of  worship  must  correspond  with  the 
sad  or  the  cheerful  spirit  of  the  worshiper. 
Hence  the  prayer  must  be  genuine  and  true. 
(John*:  23, 24.)  In  regard  to  the  worship  by 
music,  Plumptre  remarks:  "It  is  perhaps 
specially  characteristic  of  James  that  he  con- 
templates what  we  may  call  the  individual 
use  of  such  music,  as  well  as  the  congrega- 
tional, as  a  help  to  the  spiritual  life.  We  are 
reminded  of  two  memorable  instances  of  this 
employment  in  the  lives  of  George  Herbert 
and  Milton.  Compare  also  Hooker's  grand 
words  on  the  power  of  Psalmody'  and  Music. 
'Eccl.  Polity,'  V.  38."  Pliny,  in  his  letter 
to  Trajan  (Ep.  9:  -),  speaks  of  the  hymns  which 
the  early  Christians  used  to  sing  among  them- 
selves to  Jesus  Christ  as  God.  None  of  these 
hymns  survive  ;  j'et  some  of  the  passages  in 
the  epistles,  which  are  full  of  lyric  rapture, 
may  give  some  idea  of  what  they  were.  Such 
is  the  hymn  to  Christian  love  in  1  Cor.  13, 
and  the  paean  of  Christian  assurance  in  Kom. 
8:  31-39.  See  also  1  Tim.  3:  16,  which  rings 
like  a  battle-song.  Compare  Pressens6, 
"Apost.  Era,"  p.  372,  s.  In  the  age  to 
which  the  gospel  was  given.  Christian  life  spon- 
taneously expressed  itself  in  song.  (Actsie:  25.) 
One  of  the  most  laudable  objects  of  the  sys- 
tems of  modern  education  is  the  recovery  of 
this  last  accomplishment  which,  after  having 
been  made  an  art  too  fine  for  popular  use  in 
the  last  century,  has  been  well  nigh  sup- 
planted by  instrumental  music  in  this.  Per- 
sonal enjoyment  of  singing,  which  is  all  that 
James  here  specifies,  would  lead  to  congrega- 
tional singing.  Mr.  Ellerton  sketches  the 
liturgical  use  of  hymns  in  Smith's  "Diet. 
Antiq.,"  p,  801,  ?  99. 

14.  Another  kind  of  pious  appeal  to  God  is 
indicated — intercessory   prayer  in    behalf  of 


Ch.  v.] 


JAMES. 


71 


14  Is  any  sick  among  you?  let  him  call  for  the  elders 
of  the  church;  and  let  them  pray  over  him,  anoint- 
ing him  with  oil  in  the  name  ol  the  Lord: 

15  And  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick,  and 


you  sick?  let  him  call  for  the  elders  of  the  church  I 

and  let  them  pray  over  him,  i  anointing  him  with 

15  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord:   and  the  prayer  of 

faith  shall   save  him  that  Is  sick,  and  the  Lord 


1  Or,  Itaving  anointed. 


those  afflicted  by  sickness,  (ver.u-ie.)  Is  any 
sick  among  you  ?  The  language  is  general, 
seeming  to  indicate  any  case  of  sickness  (Miitt. 
10:8:  Luke  4:  40);  but  the  Connection  would  Seem 
to  imply  that  the  case  intended  was  that  of 
one  who,  in  addition  to  his  bodily  ailment, 
was  also  suffering  spiritually,  and  was  shaken 
in  faith.  For,  in  addition  to  the  remedy  cus- 
tomarily used  for  the  relief  of  pain  (Mark 6:  is' 
Luke  10;  34),  prayer  was  also  to  be  employed  for 
the  cure  and  the  forgiveness  of  the  patient. 
(ver.  15.)  Let  him  call  for  the  elders  of 
the  chnrch.  These  were  the  presiding  officers 
of  the  church  (the  name  having  been  trans- 
ferred from  the  synagogue)  who  were  more 
than  one  in  number,  because  anciently  there 
seems  to  have  been  but  one  church  in  a  city  or 
community,  with  several  preaching  places, 
instead  of  separate  churches  as  now.  (Aots20:  17.; 
They  were  in  no  respect  different  from  bishops, 
their  Greek  title  (as  Jerome  on  Titus  1:  7  ad- 
mits). Hence  the  names  of  elders  and  bishops 
are  interchanged  (Acts 20: 17,28;  tuusI:  5,7),  and  so 
also  are  the  offices.  (1  Peter  5:  1,2.)  Besides  the 
extraordinary  office  of  the  apostle  (an  eye  wit- 
ness of  the  resurrection,  Acts  1:  22),  there 
were  but  two  ecclesiastical  officers,  that  of  the 
bishop  and  that  of  the  deacon.  (Phii.  1 :  1 ;  1  Tim. 
3:1,8.)  From  the  diverse  origin  and  associa- 
tions of  these  titles,  the  name  bishop  marked 
the  duty,  that  of  elder  the  dignity  of  the  same 
office.  In  the  case  of  affliction  here  indicated 
these  officers  were  to  be  called  in.  And  let 
them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with 
oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  The  oil  was 
not  to  be  used  to  produce  any  magical  effect; 
for  it  was,  as  we  observed  above,  the  common 
means  of  healing.  Celsus  prescribed  rubbing 
with  olive  oil  as  a  remedy  for  fever.  Herod 
used  oil  baths.  To  its  use  in  healing  an  allu- 
sion is  made  by  the  prophet  Isaiah,  (i:*-) 
Yet  in  connection  with  its  use,  as  doubtless  in 
the  case  of  the  disciples  (Marks:  13),  a  new  ef- 
ficacy was  communicated  to  the  friendly 
ministry  by  the  prayer  of  faith,  (ver.  15.)  The 
elders  prayed,  as  the  organs  of  the  Church, 
and  in  dependence  upon  the  blessing  of  the 
Lord,  in  whose  name  the  act  was  done.     On 


the  supposition  that  the  gifts  of  healing 
(icor.  i2:»)j  with  other  miraculous  powers  of 
the  early  Church,  have  ceased,  the  Greek 
Church  observes  the  injunction  of  James  by 
the  united  prayer  of  the  elders  for  the  cure  of 
the  sick,  the  natural  remedies  being  also  used 
— a  practice  warranted  by  the  inspired  in- 
junction. The  Roman  Catholic  Church  has 
adopted,  instead,  an  ordinance  of  its  own  in- 
vention called  the  sacrament  of  extreme  unc- 
tion, which  is  administered  not  as  here  to 
those  who  may  hope  for  recovery,  but  only  to 
dying  persons,  and  which  is  supposed  to  im- 
part to  them  spiritual  healing.  This  sacra- 
ment is  entirely  unwarranted  by  James'  teach- 
ings, which  now  are  followed  wlien  we  use 
the  appropriate  means  of  healing,  and  pray 
and  trust  that  God  will  make  them  effectual, 
and  when,  with  still  stronger  faith,  we  invoke 
spiritual  blessings  upon  the  sufferer,  whom 
Satan  hath  bound.  (Lukeis:  is.)  How  strangely 
the  simple  direction  has  been  abused!  Oil 
when  blessed  by  a  bishop  is  regarded  by 
Romani.sts  as  having  a  miraculous  efficacy,  as 
imparting  spiritual  blessings,  and  even  invest- 
ing lifeless  objects  with  sanctity.  Hence  it 
becomes  an  object  of  sujjerstitious  veneration. 
"  The  prayers"  says  Fleury,  "  may  in  case  of 
necessity  be  omitted,  and  the  unction  alone 
used."  Edgar  has  an  instructive  chap- 
ter upon  this  subject  (chap.  15)  in  his  "Varia- 
tions of  Popery."  Mr.  Scudamore  gives  a 
learned  and  dry  account  of  sacerdotal  and 
sacramental  follies  in  oil,  in  Smith's  "Diet. 
Chris.  Antiq.,"  pp.  2(XX). 

15.  Such  intercessory  prayer  is  encouraged 
by  the  salutary  result  that  may  be  expected 
from  it.  And  the  prayer  of  faith  shall 
(wiU)  save  the  sick — Syriac,  "will  heal  him 
who  is  sick."  The  prayer  of  faith  (genitive 
of  the  subject)  is  the  prayer  which  faith  offers. 
The  elders  who  offer  the  prayer  must  have 
confidence  in  its  acceptance.  (John  14 :  13,  14.) 
Yet  the  faith  of  the  sick  man  who  has  sent 
for  them,  and  prays  with  them,  is  also  im- 
plied. Compare  Matt.  9:  22;  Luke  7:  50; 
8:  48,  and  so  many  other  cases  where  our 
Lord  in  healing  had  regard  to  the  faith  of  the 


i'L 


JAMES. 


[Ch.  V. 


the  Lord  shall  raise  him  up;  and  if  he  have  eoiumitted 
sins,  they  shall  be  forgiven  him. 

16  Coufess  your  faults  one  to  another,  and  pray  one 
for  another,  that  ye  may  be  healed.  The  eflectual  fer- 
vent prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much. 

17  Elias  was  a  man  subject  to  like  passions  as  we  are, 


shall  raise  him  up;  and  if  he  have  committed  sins, 

16  it  shall  be  forgiven  him.  Coufess  therefore  vour 
sins  one  to  another,  and  pray  one  for  another, 'that 
ye  may  be  healed.     The  supplication  of  a  righteous 

17  man  availeth  much  in  its  working.  Elijah  was  a 
man  of  like  i  passions  with  us,  and  he  prayed  ^fer- 


1  Or,  nature  2  Gr.  with  prayer. 


sufferer.  In  this  case,  not  the  oil,  but  the 
praj'er  is  represented  as  instrumental  in  pro- 
curing the  desired  blessing.  On  account  of 
this,  the  Lord  Jesus  (Aot.s9:34)  will  raise  the 
sick  man  from  his  bed  of  languishing.  And 
if  he  have  committed  sins,  they  {it)  shall 
be  forgiven  him.  Even  if  the  sickness 
sliould  have  been  caused  by  the  man's  sins 
(compare  1  Cor.  11:  SO},  the  case  would  not 
be  desperate.  In  response  to  the  prayer  of 
faith,  the  sins  themselves  should  be  forgiven, 
of  which  the  cessation  of  the  sickness  would 
be  the  evidence.  The  absoluteness  of  the 
promise  diplays  the  coloring  of  the  age  of 
miracles  (icor.  12:9),  yet  it  must  not  be  con- 
fined to  that  age;  wherever  a  corresponding 
faith  is  exercised,  a  corresponding  result  will 
occur.  See  this  subject  as  unfolded  in  Dr. 
Mell  on  "Prayer."  The  ordinary  petition 
of  faith  has  the  humble  limitation,  "not  as  I 
will,  but  as  thou  wilt."  (uatt.  26:  39.)  Yet 
such  a  faith,  while  it  does  not  demand  the 
healing  of  the  body,  may  not  the  less  confi- 
dently assure  itself  of  the  forgiveness  of  the 
contrite,  believing  soul,  Plumptre:  "It  is 
noticeable  that  the  remission  of  sins  thus 
promised  is  dependent  not  on  the  utterance 
of  the  quasi-judicial  formula  of  the  absolvo  te 
(that  was  not  used  indeed  at  all  until  the 
thirteenth  century)  by  an  individual  priest, 
but  on  the  pra^'ers  of  the  elders  as  represent- 
ing the  Church.  Compare  John  20:  23,  where 
also  the  promise  is  in  the  plural, "  Whosesoever 
sins  ye  remit."  Under  a  spiritual  dispensa- 
tion a  merely  verbal,  oflScial  forgiveness  has 
no  value;  evil  is  not  conquered  except  by 
faith,  which,  deriving  strength  from  a  higher 
sphere,  struggles  with  it,  casts  it  away,  and 
rises  beyond  it  "into  magnificence  of  rest." 
See  Ruskin's  illustration  of  this  principle  in 
art,  "Modern  Painters,"  p.  300. 

16.  The  general  conditions  upon  which 
such  grace  is  imparted  are  mutual  confessions 
and  prayer,  to  which  accordingly  believers 
are  exhorted.  Confess  your  faults  {trans- 
gressions) one  to  another.  According  to 
the   Vatican    manuscrij)!,    Confess   therefore, 


etc.  The  exhortation  implies  that  the  sick 
man  confessed  his  transgressions  to  the  elders, 
when  they  prayed  for  him,  acknowledging 
his  sins  against  God  and  his  fellow-men  ;  and 
it  further  requires  that  such  confessions  should 
be  made  not  only  by  the  private  members  of 
the  church  to  the  elders,  but  by  believers  to 
each  other.  These  confessions  might  be  in 
public,  as  those  mentioned  in  Matt.  3:  6; 
Acts  19 :  18,  19,  or  such  as  are  made  in  the 
class  meetings  of  Methodists;  or  they  might 
be  in  private  intercourse.  (iJohni:9.)  The 
confession  of  wrong  doing  and  of  desert  of 
punishment,  as  it  is  the  first  step  of  reforma- 
tion, is  therefore  a  condition  of  forgiveness. 
And,  like  the  confessions,  the  mutual  prayers 
might  also  be  in  public  or  private.  The  inter- 
cessions of  believers  for  each  other  have  as 
large  a  scope  and  as  rich  a  promise  as  the 
intercessions  of  the  elders  for  the  sick.  Here, 
however,  without  excluding  necessarily  its 
proper  meaning,  the  healing  is  used  in  a 
figurative  sense,  as  in  Heb.  12:  13;  1  Peter  2: 
24,  having  special  reference  to  the  spiritual 
maladies,  of  which  the  "transgressions"  were 
the  symptoms.  The  effectual  fervent 
prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth 
much.  It  is  diflBcult  to  decide  upon  the  pre- 
cise meaning  of  the  participle  here  translated 
by  the  two  words  effectual  ferve?it.  It  signi- 
fies an  inworking  praj'er — a  prayer  by  which 
the  worshiper  is,  as  it  were,  possessed  (Rom.  8;  26), 
and  which  is  therefore  fervent  and  strenuous, 
and  will  take  no  denial.  Compare  Gal.  2:8; 
Eph.  3:  20.  That  such  desires  for  the  welfare 
of  others,  or  for  the  prosperity  of  the  cause  of 
Christ,  will  be  accompanied  by  active  exer- 
tions, follows  as  a  matter  of  course.  The 
prayers  must  be  those  of  a  'righteous  man '  — 
that  is,  a  man  whose  will  is  in  conformity  with 
the  will  of  God. 

17.  An  incident  in  the  history  of  the  prophet 
Elijah  shows  the  power  of  such  praj'cr.  (ver. 
17, 18.)  Elias  was  a  man,  subject  to  like  pas- 
sions as  we  are.  Instead  of  'subject  to,'  etc., 
read  of  like  passions  with  us.  Thus  the  great 
prophet  is  described  by  James,  in  order  that 


Ch.  v.] 


JAMES. 


73 


and  he  prayed  earnestly  that  it  might  not  rain  :  and  it 
rained  not  on  the  earth  by  the  space  of  three  years  and 
six  months. 

18  And  he  prayed  again,  and  the  heaven  gave  rain, 
and  the  earth  brought  forth  her  fruit. 

19  Brethren,  if  any  of  you  do  err  from  the  truth,  and 
one  convert  him ; 


vently  that  it  might  not  rain  ;  and  it  rained  not  on 

18  the  earth  for  three  years  and  six  months.  And  he 
prayed  again  ;  and  the  heaven  gave  rain,  and  the 
earth  brought  forth  her  fruit. 

19  My  brethren,  if  any  among  you  do  err  from  the 

20  truth,  and  one  convert  him  ;  ^  let  him  know,  that  be 


1  Some  ancieot  authoriiies  read  know  ye. 


his  readers  might  be  persuaded  to  follow  his 
example.  He  was  not  elevated  above  the 
ordinary  conditions  of  our  humanity,  but  was 
a  man  of  like  constitution  and  nature  with 
ourselves.  Compare  Acts  14:  15,  having  the 
same  feelings  and  passions  as  we.  Syriac . 
"Of  sensations  like  us.'  And  he  prayed 
earnestly  that  it  might  not  rain.  This 
prayer  of  Elijah  is  not  mentioned  in  the 
ancient  record,  (i  Kings  n-.is.)  Yet  the  state- 
ment of  James  suffices;  and  indeed  it  may  be 
concluded  that  Elijah  was  a  man  of  prayer, 
not  only  on  account  of  his  steadfast  faith 
(i  KingsiT:  i),  but  from  the  incidental  account 
of  his  posture  as  a  worshiper  on  the  summit 
of  Carmel.  (i  Kings  is :  42.)  There  is  an  allu- 
sion to  this  history  in  Kev.  11 :  6,  12.  And  it 
rained  not  on  the  earth  by  the  space  of 
three  years  and  six  months.  Luke  4:  25 
makes  the  same  statement  as  to  the  duration 
of  the  drought.  This  is  not  contradicted  bj' 
the  account  of  the  termination  of  the  drought 
in  the  third  year,  if  we  suppose  that  "the 
third  year"  marks  the  length  of  Elijah's 
residence  at  Zarephath,  which,  allowing  a 
year  for  his  seclusion  at  the  Brook  Cherith 
(1  Kings  17: 2-8),  would  be  the  fourth  j'ear  of  the 
famine.  'The  earth'  may  signify  only  the 
chastised  la7id  of  Palestine.  Compare  Luke 
4:25;  21:23;  Kom.9:28.  A  similar  drought 
occurred  at  about  the  time  when  James  wrote. 
The  people  were  instant  in  prayer;  and  at  a 
time  when  the  clouds  promised  no  response 
were  blest  with  a  copious  shower.  Jos. 
"Ant.,"  18:  8,  6.  Eusebius  mentions  a  par- 
allel instance  of  an  answer  to  prayers  for 
rain  in  the  case  of  the  Thundering  Legion  in 
the  war  with  the  Marcomanni.  "  Hist."  5 :  5. 
18.  And  he  prayed  again — better,  and 
again  he  prayed.  It  is  noticeable  that  this 
second  prayer,  uttered  by  Elijah,  was  founded 
upon  the  promise  previously  given,  before  he 
set  forth  from  Zarephath.  (i  Kings  is :  1.42.)  This 
circumstance  suggests  that  the  first  prayer 
also  was  preceded  by  a  revelation  of  God's 
will.     Without  such  warrant,  it  is  not  safe  to 


invoke  a  judgment  upon  wrongdoers,  whether 
of  drought  or  of  fire  "as  Elijah  did."  And 
the  heaven  gave  rain,  and  the  earth 
bronght    forth    her    fruit— such   as  she   is 

accustomed  to  bear.  Both  these  personifica- 
tions express  strikingly  the  success  of  Elijah's 
prayer.  And  the  refreshment  and  relief  thus 
obtained  encourages  our  intercessions  for 
others,  that  they  may  receive  the  richer  bless- 
ings of  the  skies.  For  here  too  a  promise 
may  be  pleaded:  "I  will  pour  water  upon 
him  that  is  thir>ty,  and  floods  upon  the  dry 
ground.  I  will  pour  my  Spirit  upon  thy 
seed  and  my  blessing  upon  thine  offspring. 
And  they  shall  spring  up  as  among  the  grass, 
as  willows  by  the  watercourses.  One  shall 
say,  I  am  the  Lord's,  and  another  shall  call 
himself  by  the  name  of  Jacob ;  and  another 
shall  subscribe  with  his  hand  unto  the  Lord, 
and  surname  himself  by  the  name  of  Israel." 
(isa.  44: 3-5.)  Perhaps  this  latent  suggestion  in 
the  passage  prepared  the  way  for  the  succeed- 
ing verses  which  relate  to  the  conversion  and 
salvation  of  souls. 

3.  Slowness  to  wrath.  Instead  of  striving 
with  men  as  rivals  or  persecutors,  seek  to 
save  them.     Ver.  19,  20. 

19.  Instead  of  the  wrath,  which  James  de- 
nounces as  contrary  to  the  genius  of  the 
gospel  (3:  13;  4:  17),  he  exhibits  the  Christian 
spirit  as  a  loving  interest  in  the  salvation  of 
sinners — a  thought  with  which  the  Epistle 
appropriately  ends.  Brethren,  if  any  of 
you  do  err  from  the  truth — better,  if  any 
one  arnonff  you  be  led  astray  from  the  truth. 
The  expression  indicates  a  wandering  away 
from  the  principles  of  the  gospel,  and  from 
sach  a  course  of  life  as  those  principles  require 
and  enforce;  it  embraces  errors  of  the  under- 
standing, such  as  unbelief  and  superstition, 
and  also  departures  from  the  \\&ys  of  duty 
and  virtue.  The  word  of  truth  is  the  word 
of  life,  and  the  way  of  truth  is  the  way 
of  life.  And  one  convert  him — recall  the 
wandering  soul  to  faith  and  virtue.  Such  was 
the  grand  office  assigned  to  John  the  Baptist 


74 


JAMES. 


20  Let  him  know,  that  he  which  converteth  the  sin- 
ner from  the  error  of  his  way  shall  save  a  soul  from 
death,  and  shall  hide  a  multitude  of  sins. 


[Ch.  V. 


who  converteth  a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  wav 
shall  save  a  soul  from  death,  and  shall  cover  a  mul- 
titude of  sins. 


among  the  erring  Jews  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Gospel  Dispensation.  (Luisei:  le,  n.)  And 
to  the  same  sublime  office  of  philanthropy  is 
every  Christian  called. 

20.  Let  him  (the  converter)  know  the 
great  results  achieved  by  such  evangelistic 
undertakings  and  labors.  That  he  who 
converteth  a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his 
Avay.  The  general  definition  of  a  sinner  is  a 
wanderer  from  the  truth,  (ver.  19.)  Error  is 
the  contrast  to  the  truth.  This  proposition, 
which  serves  as  the  foundation  of  Wollaston's 
ingenious  treatise  on  "The  Keligion  of  Na- 
ture," ^  1,  on  Moral  Good  and  Evil,  pp.  4-52, 
is  here  assumed  as  undoubtedly  true.  Just  as 
certainly  as  truth  saves,  error  degrades  and 
destroys.  Shall  save  a  soul  from  death. 
The  '  soul '  is  that  spiritual  part  which,  through 
the  divine  blessing  and  in  the  use  of  the  means 
of  grace,  may  attain  eternal  salvation,  and 
which,  on  the  other  hand,  by  the  neglect  or 
rejection  of  the  gospel,  incurs  eternal  ruin. 
He  who  converts  a  sinner  saves  a  soul  from 
destruction,  and  thus  secures  for  an  endan- 
gered and  guilty  fellow  creature  an  eminent 
and  abiding  good.  Of  all  philanthropists,  the 
zealous,  loving  Christian  is  the  greatest.  He 
alone  saves  the  soul  from  the  loss  of  that  life 
which  alone  is  worth  the  living;  from  that 
misery  begotten  by  sin,  beginning  on  earth, 
enduring  and  increasing  after  the  death  of  the 


body,  and  continuing  forever.  And  shall 
hide  (cove?-)  a  multitude  of  sins.  This  is 
commonly  regarded  as  meaning  that  the  sins 
of  the  person  converted  are,  as  it  were,  hidden 
from  the  eyes  of  God,  in  being  forgiven. 
These  are  'a  multitude';  for  every  act  of  a 
moral  agent  has  a  moral  character,  and  there- 
fore a  heart  at  enmity  to  God  is  perpetually 
sinning  against  him.  "The  plowing  of  the 
wicked  is  sin."  Yet  we  prefer  to  regard  the 
phrase  as  having  the  meaning  of  the  parallel 
passages,  Prov.  10:  12;  1  Peter  4 :  8,  etc., 
whose  theme  is  the  covering  of  sins  by  charity. 
Labor  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  others  would 
be  the  most  effective  way  of  soothing  the  dis- 
cords which  James  is  here  recalling,  as  he 
shows  the  more  excellent  way  of  charity. 
Christians  would  find  it  easier  to  forgive  the 
wrongs  and  insults  of  others,  if  they  regarded 
others  as  fellow  sinners  needing  the  gospel 
and  journeying  with  them  to  the  bar  of  God. 
However  numerous  these  sins  may  be.  Chris- 
tian charity  can  cover  them  all.  Solomon 
says:  "Love  covereth  all  sins."  Peter  says: 
"  Love  shall  cover  the  multitude  of  sins."  It 
can  hardly  be  in  a  different  meaning  that 
James  uses  the  same  proverbial  phrase.  The 
Syriac  reads:  "He  who  turneth  the  sinner 
from  the  error  of  his  way  will  resuscitate  his 
soul  from  death,  and  will  cover  the  multitude 
of  his  sins." 


1 

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BS2341.A512V.6 

Commentary  on  the  Pastoral  epistles 

Sllirillll]ir,n'.tfl'''"'"^^^-SpeerL,brary 


1    1012  00056  0674 


